I Know Why the Jailed Bird Sings
by Kokolo
Summary: Snace. Working summary - Sometimes Ace wonders how strong the bonds are between him and his gang. Now that he's another year older, exactly how much can go wrong before something snaps and even his strongest link is frayed?
1. Chapter 1

**Holy Crap I'm actually posting this. And I bet all five of you who glanced at my profile thought I was just making shit up. Nope. here it is. Still unfinished but I'm posting it, dammit.  
First chapter/prologue/step to get me to post something other than a one shot! **  
**Short, but has cursing. Read with caution.**

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"Happy Birthdayss, Boss." Snake hissed quietly, dabbing his leader's bloody cut with the cleanest scrap of gauze he could find. Ace tensed at the suggestion – he'd forgotten what day it was, not to mention what day his birthday fell under. Eh. Didn't seem all that important in the midst of all this crap. What a great birthday it was – poor, starving, and now busted up thanks to three particular super powered little girls.

Ace hissed this time, only half hearing Snake murmur an apology. It had been bad this time, but not bad enough to get them to retreat to the free clinic. At least the girls let them limp off without tossing them in the back of a squad car. They had only jacked some food, after all. Maybe there was an advantage to having chicks beat you up – more empathy for piety crime. But Ace wasn't kidding himself. Another move like that and they'd be land ass-first in sing sing – which wouldn't be a problem if Ace hadn't suddenly become aware of the fact that he was now a legal adult. He couldn't remember how old he was exactly, but he was pretty sure this was as far as he could milk the 'but I'm just a kid' excuse. Not that he wouldn't try.

Snake withdrew his probing hand, blinking up at him. He hissed softly and glanced back at the bandaged hand, then up at his boss. Maybe the birthday thing hadn't been the best thing to bring up. He'd just figured it'd make him feel better. Guess not. He winced in anticipation of the hit he was probably gonna get. Still, he peeked up at Ace, hoping he'd appreciate the thought. He bandaged up his cut good enough, right?

"Already, huh?" Ace sighed, almost sounded defeated. Snake nodded, hissing a bit, watching Ace glance over at the other limping, bruised, and otherwise oblivious members of the gang. "Thanks Snake."

"No problemss, boss." The reptile smiled weakly, blood in his teeth "Needs painkillers?"

"Na, I'm good." He sat up and turned to spit on the ground. "Go make sure none o' those guys is gonna keel over."

Ace shooed him off and stood up on shaky legs. Happy goddamn, shitty, fucked over birthday. At least someone remembered. And they weren't dead or in jail. And they had some food. And Snake remembered. Come to think of it, this day was better than most days, minus the Powerpuff beating, but even that was standard.

The leader rolled his shoulders and spat on the ground, adjusting his shades with a flick of his wrist. He watched Snake make his rounds, shuffling between the rest of his gang while they got it back together. He waited in the mouth of the alley, looking around for cops that could have overheard heard the commotion. Last thing he wanted to do was run, but if they had to they could. As far as law enforcement seemed to be concerned, though, the girls could take care of their workload. A couple of busted up kids weren't all that important.

Eventually, the gang part of the Gangreen Gang plodded to a halt behind him. Ace shot a cursory glance around the buildings corners before turning to face his bloody crew.

"Yous okay ta walk back?" He muttered, only half heartedly playing his big bad boss role. He wasn't in the mood. The rest of them nodded or mumbled in agreement, following Ace blindly while he limped out into the street.

Out in the open they made quite the shameful sight. The more reputable citizens of Townsville gave the lot of them wide birth on their way back to the dump. For his part, Ace mostly navigated blindly, the want to shut his eyes too great to pass up. He was kind of proud of his ability to get back only barely keeping his eyes open. He felt safe with the rest of his gang behind him. The loud thuds from Billy, the barefoot slaps from Grubber, the light taps for Arturo, and the shuffling from Snake.

For some unknown reason, Ace whistled a few bars of a familiar song that no one really heard.

_Hap-py birth-day to me._

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**I know it's short - the chapters do get longer, I promise. I'm just testing the waters here. Please let me know what you think :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone! Thanks for all the feedback so far. It makes me :D**  
**Just because you're all so awesome (and the first chapter was really short and I have Spring Break), I give you a second update in a weeks time! This will probably not happen again, as I plan to update both this and **_Guinea Pig_** every Friday. But you never know.**  
**Enjoy~**

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Ace had gotten them home safe some hours ago. Snake had passed out painkillers. Billy got the feeling back in his arm again. Grubber ate a tire. Arturo had gotten a card game started. Everything seemed to be going well.

For his part, Ace tried to join in. He'd taken the aspirin, played a few hands, told Billy to stop trying to eat the paint chips. Problem was the more he tried the more his mind wandered. Twice he had to be told to bid or fold – and after that the rest of the gang just played around his turn while he stared blankly at the cards. Arturo had tried to start up a conversation and Billy poked him a couple of times, even offering his bear to make boss feel better. Ace had snapped out of it periodically and assured the rest of him he was fine with a well placed 'fuck off I'm fine.'

They didn't believe him, but they kept quiet about it.

Before long Ace found himself squatting down in the dirt, scruffy chin in hand, out in the cold. Self imposed exile from the slightly warmer shack. He didn't feel much like playing in a rigged card game. He didn't much feel like anything at all. Ace just found himself thinking. It was as if everything consumed his brain all at once but left it blank at the same time. He thought about getting beaten up and food and banks and money and video games and the night sky and the pocketknife in his back pocket and birthdays and cement and asphalt and bruises and blood and cuts and bandages and aspirin and Powerpuffs and iron bars and garbage and everything ever and nothing at all. It made his head spin and scared the hell out of him. Ace wasn't one for deep thoughts – be barely knew what to do with regular ones.

"Something botheringss you boss?" Someone hissed softly. Ace grinned a bit to himself, thankful for the sudden robbery of his concentration.  
"Jus' thinking."  
"Bad thinkingss?"  
"Yeah."

Snake slid beside him without being asked, sitting right up next to him. The thoughts in his head too shifted as smoothly as the serpent did, focusing on the bundle of skin and scales at his side. In the past Ace blamed Snake's close behavior on being somewhere new, then on the cold, then on being lonely then on being chummy and even on trying to gain favor. The more he made excuses the more he figured he was wrong, but Snake was his pal. Maybe that was just the way he was – but he'd been with enough chicks to know flirting when he saw it. It was kinda flattering and sure as hell did wonders for his self-esteem, even if it wasn't intentional.

He eyed the boy at his side, smiling a little. He looked so thrilled to be alone with him, to not be in pain. It was nice for a change to be relatively alright with life and not angry as fuck about everything. It was peaceful, like this. Snake even remembered his damned birthday. It wasn't all that bad, having Snake nearby and close like this. He was his best pal after all. And the bastard wasn't even trying to smoke, but he was fidgeting a bit and sliding up against him. He was probably cold or trying to kept his smoking hands busy or something.

Made him upset to think it might end.

Back to the birthday thing again. He was technically legal now. He knew was gonna get thrown into the big pen sooner or later – he just didn't think it would be this soon. Big Billy and Lil Arturo could probably milk the little kid thing – Arturo was short enough and Billy was slow enough. Grubber was… well most people left him alone. Snake could fend for himself most of the time – and even so he was pretty sure Snake was younger than him – he had a few years left in juivie.

Ace sighed and slumped over, pulling his legs up to his chest. Snake hissed and peered over to him, concern for his friend more evident than he probably should have let on with the rest of the gang so close by. Ace glanced at him from the corner of his eye, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth despite him trying to be in a bad mood. Stupid Snake and his ridiculous grin. Damn he would miss it.

The boss Gangreen was at a loss of how to deal with this worry. He never was one to be forthcoming with his emotions. Shit like that would get you killed on the streets. Ace did care, though. He worried constantly about having food and making sure everyone was able to walk and all that good stuff. He was a bit of a control freak when it came down to it, which was probably why his willing followers were such a comfort – and why Snake, the weakest, most subservient of all, was his favorite.

Not that he would ever admit any of this.

Again Ace sighed, looking off into the distance. There wasn't much of a view, but it was home, and he sure as hell rather rot here than in prison. With his massive record he'd be lucky to be out before he was eighty. Sure he acted like a badass, but the thought of losing his gang scared the shit out of him. Ace shut his eyes and sprawled out again, his hands at his sides to brace himself. He brushed up against Snake a bit, trying to convince himself he was still safe here – or maybe it was just to hear the skinny serpent gasp. He wasn't surprised to feel Snake cautiously press his cold fingers against his hand or hear him stutter a hiss or two. He also wasn't surprised to hear Snake, in all his hyper observant ways, offer him some encouragement.

"Boss?" Snake hissed, looking up at him "You'ss aint gonna lose uss boss – no matterss what."

Ace made a noncommittal noise and, much to the serpent's surprise, squeezed the thin fingers that rested next to his own. He was smiling, which put Snake at ease as much as it put him on edge. The thinner Gangreen swallowed thickly and waited for his next move, hoping he wouldn't be hit. He hadn't been hit in a while – but the thought had been beaten into him (literally). Again Ace squeezed the thin fingers, going so far as to let the hold linger. For a cold-blooded creature, Snake noticed he was feeling rather warm. It wasn't unpleasant or unheard of – but he was pretty sure it wasn't supposed to be there. That being said, he wasn't too quick to try and be rid of it.

Ace let go after a few minutes of quiet, standing up with a groan. He muttered something about getting old and Snake laughed like a good lackey, looking up at him. The lead Gangreen looked right back, kicking the dirt a bit. He smiled.

"Get up an' come in. You gotta deal – no one else knows how to fuckin shuffle."  
"Okayss." Snake hissed happily, getting to his feet "Yous know Grubber's gonna winss again, rightss?"  
"Just shut up and deal."

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**Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Another update! And on time! I'm good at this kind of thing! Exclamation point!**  
**Alright- so enough of the prologue stuff. This chapter is longer and actually has stuff going on. Bad stuff, but still stuff. Action! Whoo!**

**Enjoy**

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Ace looked like hell.

Granted, everyone would look like hell, half slumped over in the back of a police cruiser in the middle of the night. Snake figured he probably looked terrible too, but he was sure Ace was worse off. The cops made a b-line for him. The rest of the gang was just collateral damage.

They weren't even doing anything. They hadn't done anything in days. They were playing cards with leftover game pieces as betting chips just for shits. They decided to get some food. Ace had opened the door and gotten a Glock muzzle to the face. The rest of the police officers had smacked the hell out of him, leaving him woozy and bloody and in pain but still conscious enough to hear his rights and put his hands behind his back so he could get cuffed. The other Gangreens didn't dare put up a fight, not after what Ace had been hit with for walking outside. They got smacked around a little, but not beaten bloody.

The police had been quick and mean. They separated the gang into three cars. Grubber got tossed into an armored car, probably to protect the driver from being coated in spit. Billy got put into a van where, among other things, he continually bugged the driver with questions. Arturo, Ace, and Snake had been tossed into the backseat of the cruiser, groaning and ruddy and messed up but alive. Lil' Arturo chattered angrily in Spanish until he got whacked in the jaw with a club. Snake knew better than to risk his teeth, so he kept his mouth shut. It didn't stop the police from smacking him around, but Ace had done worse.

The reptilian Gangreen peeked at his leader, sniffing a little. Being flexible had its advantages – a quick slither and his hands were in his lap rather than being bound behind his back. He laced his fingers together and fidgeted. This was bad. This was very bad. These weren't newbie cars – these were real deal fleet. Snake had a feeling that something was about to go very, very wrong. It had already gone very wrong. Ace had gotten really hurt. He was bleeding pretty badly. Before he realized what he was doing his cold fingers had started wiping the blood off Ace's warmer face. The boss flinched a bit, but he didn't try to fight. He looked too tired for that.

"Ace?" Snake whispered "You okaysss?"  
"Fuck no."

That was the end of that conversation. He started up another one with the driver.

"Hey asshole!" Ace barked "This aint the way to Juvie. Where the fuck are we going?"  
"Oh, yes. Of course you'd know."  
"Answer me, fucknut!"  
"Heh… you look kinda old for Juvie."  
"Answer me goddamnit!" Ace screamed, slamming his shoulder against the grating that separated cop from suspect.  
"Well I got news for you, _kiddo_." The cop sneered, grinning at them in the rearview mirror "You goin to the big house."

Ace paused there, breathing heavy and twisted up against the grating. The driver stopped particularly quick, forcing Ace's head to come in contact with the metal. He sunk back into the chair while the cop snickered to himself. Arturo started up his Spanish rant again, albeit quietly. Ace elbowed him to shut up. This couldn't be happening.

"Shit…" Ace murmured, watching the Townsville Correctional Facility get larger and larger in the windshield. "Oh shit this is bad. This is so bad…"

O///////O

The warden was a smug, self-important bastard. He knew it and he was damn well proud of it. He polished his badge, gun, and shoes to an unnatural shine. He had a perma-white grin to match, which he showed off far more than naturally possible. His suit was pressed, everything starched and creased in a manner that was infuriatingly perfect. Townsville had hired him to correct the behavior of those who broke the law. Make them regret what they had done. He did that job as perfectly as he did his laundry. The inmates hated him. Men feared him. With that in mind- why shouldn't all the monsters in Townsville be withering at his feet as well?

It wasn't hard. Those… strange little mutant girls did most of the work. There was the steady stream of small time, first time offenders – bank robbers and jewel thieves and the like. Then there were the 'regulars'. He'd read up on their files extensively, oh yes – just to see how to deal with these… problems. Again the girls brought him his wards. Mojo was first. He got solitary, and there he had stayed for, oh, about a week now, in a cage where he belonged. Fuzzy was locked up in a box somewhere in the southwest wing after being grossly aggressive and hostile. He was still waiting to hear back from a possible research facially to figure out what exactly Fuzzy was. That promiscuous girl was given a fixed wardrobe and placed with people of a more… steadfast faith. Perhaps they could force some sense into her. He'd gotten his hands on sutras and tags to help bind Him into a portion of his own little hell. Princess was taught a lesson in wants versus needs – all her fancy things sold or burned before her spoiled little self – though her father (regrettably) posted bail not more than a day alter.

But when the regulars stopped coming in of their own vocation, the warden found himself bored. How else was he supposed to establish a name for himself? He had to go out and round them up, he did. They would do bad eventually – preemptive strike on the evil that infected Townville.

He surveyed the lot in front of him. Oh, they had quite the rap sheet - at least big enough to properly clothe the large one between the five of them. The warden scowled in disgust. They were a sorry lot – it was a good thing Mr. Wednesday had warned him about these five. They needed a taste of what they were in for if they continued their wicked ways. He sat on his desk, crossing his legs. The smallest one was cursing, but knew better than to speak his mind outright or in a language he could comprehend. The big one was confused and whimpering. The mutant was… ugh. He should be off the streets based on horrid looks alone. That thin one too, looked as if he could be reformed… possibly speech therapy to cure that lisp. Then there was the leader – the one with the glasses, staring him down. Oh, how angry he looked. It was more than amusing.

The warden calmly adjusted his cufflinks and launched into a diatribe about how proper boys should behave. Ace stared him down the entire time, hoping to bore holes in his head. If there was ever a time he could wish to have heat vision… The rest of his gang shifted around him, equally uncomfortable and angry. Cops held their arms and all of them in place. It worked for a time… until the warden stood up and, looking directly at Ace, said:

"Separate blocks, the lot of you."

Immediately Ace panicked, wrenching himself out of the hold the fatter policeman had on him. He started to rave, started to demand that they were not to be separated, that they didn't even fucking belong here they were too young and they hadn't even done anything.

But then the warden had smirked and halfway through the teens speech and whipped out the Billy Club and whacked him across the face, shutting him up fast and making the rest of the gang recoil and gasp.

"I ain't gonna tell you again, son. You got the right to remain silent – I suggest you _use_ that damn right or we're gonna have problems…" The man grinned, casually wiping the blood from the club off "You can't be trusted in a group… you're gonna be separated. Maybe I'll let you boys play if you all behave. Take 'em away!"

The leader snorted, spitting on the ground. His nose was bleeding again and he looked plenty pissed off, but he was quiet and the guard finally got a handle on him. One by one the members were taken away. Grubber needed to be dragged, Billy was lead away with a flashlight and Arturo went willingly but not silently – a string of vulgar Spanish flowing out his mouth while being shoved down the hall. Snake and Ace were left, standing elbow to elbow while the warden decided who went where.

Snake raised his head, trying to look at Ace's face. He seemed angrier than anything, but he kept moving his head this way and that way, looking down the halls the others had been dragged down. Snake hissed a bit to get his attention – his boss's gaze going a bit soft when it landed on him. The reptile smiled meekly and grunted, suddenly dragged off backwards. Ace watched with a grimace, watching Snake go for as long as he could manage before he too was dragged off. Snake stumbled backwards as long as he dared; feeling strangely fuzzy inside that Ace was so concerned for his safety. That was lost once he was wrenched around and shoved up to the second floor.

The cop seemed hesitant about putting the skinny teen with any of the felons – or at least the one holding Snake did. He was gentle with him, barely keeping a hold on his thin arm. Snake hissed irritably anyway, half glaring at him, but made no move to get away. Where would he go- back down to the lobby and get a club to the face? Not a great idea. The cop kept his gaze to the ground, peeking in cells, checking for a free one. He found one in the back corner, gently guided Snake inside, and removed the cuffs. The teen sneered at him and he sighed, rubbing his face. He looked as if he was going to say something, but he just wandered away, ignoring the jeers from the other inmates.

Snake whined once the cop was out of sight, putting his head in his hands. This sucked. He was alone in the big pen, out of the way of damn near everybody except for what he figured was bloodthirsty bank robbers and convicted killers. And yet all he could think about was if Ace was all right. This must be like a nightmare for him. He was the one who worried all the time. Snake had promised this wouldn't happen, but it did and now Ace was probably alone and just as scared as he was – if not so pissed off he was punching the wall pretending it was his lackeys face for lying to him. The whole situation was giving the reptile a monster of a headache.

He whined softly, clutching his nose and sitting where he stood. He was in a bit of pain, but not anything he couldn't deal with. He was content to sit and silence and listen to his own hissing and the heartbeat in his ears while obsessively worrying over his boss and best friend. But then he heard laughing. Low laughing, like the kind you hear in alleys before you get mugged- the kind Ace used. Snake was instantly curious, lifting his head and trying to figure out where it was coming from. It started up again, from the cell across the hall. Snake got up, shifting toward the bars. He leaned forward, wrapping his hands around the cold metal. He could make out a figure if he squinted really hard –but he could hear it well enough.

"Yous…you's say somethingss?"  
"You heard me. What's with you kid you gotta lisp or somethin?"  
"Moress or less."  
"Whatcha in for?"  
"I havess no ideass."  
"Heh. Yeah, me either."

The figure chuckled and slid off whatever it was sitting on and moving toward the light of the hallway. He slid his skinny, white arms through the bars, resting on them as if it was nothing more than a table. His face was pointy, wrinkled, an upturned nose smack dab in the middle of it, ending in what looked like an explosion of spiky red hair at his chin and an untamed fire on his head. He seemed casual, like this had happened before (and often). He had some tattoos and his orange uniform looked like it had seen some wear and tear, the big 253 faded and grey rather than new-issue black. Aside from being a felon, he was a normal-looking human and in some way, he seemed familiar – or at least nice enough Snake continued the conversation.

"You look kinda sick."  
"Dis is the ways I alwayss lookss."  
"Dat's gotta suck."  
"It ain't too badss."  
"Whatcher name kid?  
"Sssan…" He paused, the thought of giving his actual name away suddenly not seeming so smart "Everyone calls me Ssnake."  
"Fitting. Everyone calls me Boss."  
"I gotss a boss. Pick another namess."

The man laughed and shook his head. He leaned back a bit and folded his arms over his skinny chest, just watching the reptile for a moment. Snake squirmed uncomfortably, sliding back into the shadow of the cell. He hated being away from Ace and the rest of the gang – he was isolated like this. But… but he could take care of himself. He wasn't second in command in the Gangreen Gang for nothing! He could take this clown. Snake hissed and tried to think – hoping the hiss would be enough to scare him off. It just made him laugh some more. What would Ace do? Ace would've told the guy to buzz off and shut the fuck up – he'd do that. He could do that – but just as he had turned back to tell him that the man stopped laughing.

"Hey, kiddo, don't get all bent outta shape. Iffin you ain't gonna call me Boss, call me Sal. Works the same." He shrugged and leaned forward again "So whatcha in for?"  
"I honestly don'tss knowss." Snake admitted quietly, forgetting his earlier idea "We were just sittingss around andss the police busted inss and dragged us heress."  
"Huh. Seems to be the idea lately." Sal sighed and stretched his arms above his head, heading back to his cot.  
"Ideas? What do youss means?"  
"I means dis new warden's bein a total dick – He's roundin up anyone who he tinks it's weird lookin or what he tinks is dangerous and tossin them in here. I mean, that's the talk 'round the mess hall. I was in afore all this went down."  
"For whatss?"  
"Robbin' shit mostly."  
"Ohsss."  
"How old are you, kid?"  
"I dunnoss. Not old enoughss to be heress."  
"Figured." He looked Snake over again, half smiling "Get yourself outta here while you can, kid. It ain't fun."

Snake eyed him. Strange guy – most felons just spat and demanded to be let go. But this guy was acting chummy. Maybe he was innocent or something weird. Maybe he was just old. Whatever. No skin off his nose. Snake slithered back to his cot and tried to flex his spine into a comfortable position. He peeked at Sal, who was still looking at him for some reason. He didn't mind it so much as think it was really weird.

"Who you run with, Snake?"  
"What's it to youss?"  
"Jus' fillin the air, kiddo." He paused "You don't look like the type ta run solo."

Regardless of how perceptive Sal seemed, Snake hesitated. He knew better than to give up info on the Gang – that was Big Billy's area of screw-uppery. His was smoking – which he was deprived of upon getting patted down. The reptile hissed and scratched at his hat. A smoke would be real good right now. Sal tapped the bars, waiting for his answer, but Snake kept his mouth shut. He knew better. Sal sighed and threw up his hands after a few minutes of quiet.

"Fine. Don' answer me. Whatever. But it's gonna get damn boring. Oh, and I hope you don't get hungry too quick."  
"I don'tss. Why?"  
"Remember that mess hall I was talking about? How everyone's supposed to get food and water at least once a day, if not the three square meals mandated by law? Yeah. Not happened in two days – the food part, anyway. Got water from tha sink. You don't mind it a lil' brown, do yah?"  
"Fantasssssstic."

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**And it will only get worse :D  
**  
**Just to put it out there, The Warden is a product of my own sick imagination. Sal is not - just the name and the situation I'm going to shove him in. You get to rob a bank without Powerpuff interference if you guess where I fished his character from.**

**Thanks for reading. Review if so inclined and have a great day!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Alright! Here we go! Another chapter. Longer than the last one, and a lot worse. I mean it - there is no fluff here. Prepare thyself.**

**Enjoy**

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"You just couldn't keep your nose out of it, could you?! You goody-goody little girls- you're too nice! Too sweet! They don't deserve any kindness! I had everything under control – this scum doesn't deserve the good they're given! They deserve to rot in he-"

The federal bus door slammed, cutting off the sound of the warden's rant. Blossom sighed and rubbed her temples, turning away from the movements the crazed man was making. She should have known. She should have figured it out sooner, should have picked up on the clues. The way he got so eager when the felons were dropped off. The smile. The screams. She hadn't had to worry about the police, not once, not since officer Mike Brickouski was detained. It was a foolish move, a miscalculation. It wouldn't happen again – but it was bad enough it had happened once.

At this Blossom was just glad there was an attempted prison break. The Mayor had caught wind of it and dispatched the girls – perhaps prematurely. When she and her sisters had arrived they caught the warden pummeling defenseless and surrendering inmates – none of which had been properly arrested or even committed a crime. Officially the prison break was still in progress – and though they had reason to want to leave, Buttercup was more than happy to round them up and keep them in the lobby or toss them in cells. Bubbles was attempting to help bandage up those injured – all of whom more or less hated her for existing but were too weak to take a swing. Blossom was grateful for the assistance. She had her hands full sorting through the public record, figuring out who needed to be set free and who really belonged here.

Already she had managed to free up half the blocks, but there were still plenty more. Him was unbound, Fuzzy unboxed, Mojo moved into a roomier cell, and Sedusa left to her own devices away from the missionaries. Much to Blossom's surprise, they all grudgingly thanked her for helping. They attempted to escape and had to be punched a few times, but they thanked her. Even Mojo thanked her for freeing him… kind of. But Blossom didn't feel like she disserved thanks. She had failed. They all had failed and they could all be seriously hurt. She didn't feel like a hero.

The Gangreen Gang wandered into the lobby, all from separate areas. Blossom didn't make any move to stop them – they were here on false arrest and they weren't even old enough to be here… at she thought. Regardless, they were fit to be freed. They looked a bit disoriented but they weren't so bad. Ace looked busted up but he declined care. Blossom paused her organization to hover in front of them.

"Hi guys. Sorry about the trouble" She laughed nervously- it was her job to be the symbol of justice, and she had failed so miserably "Are you all right?"  
"No."  
"Oh… uhm. Well, you're all free to go." She paused, softening a bit "You guys don't belong here. I'm so sorry."  
"Forget about it." Ace dismissed, spitting to the side "Where's Snake?"  
"According to the papers he's… on the second floor in A- Block."

Just then there was an up rise. A serge of people poured from the halls. One of the guards had mistakenly pushed the release function, opening all the doors on the lower floors. The inmates ran out as fast at they could, making a mad dash for the outside world. Bubbles and Buttercup flew to the doors, barring them up and pushing (or punching) them back.

"Oh-" Blossom huffed at the sudden slew of convicts trying to bum-rush the door "You! You stay here!"

She flew off, jumping into the mess among her sisters. Ace watched with mild fascination while Billy, Arturo, and Grubber made their way to his side. He looked them over briefly and then turned back to the three flying girls who were beating the snot out of aggressive convicts.

He then picked up the ring of keys one of the officers had dropped, pocketing them.

"Yeah, right." Ace muttered to Blossom belatedly " You guys stay here. I'm gonna get Snake then we're gonna motor."

The other Gangreens nodded and stayed put, watching Ace while he scaled the stairs. One he was out of sight however, Ace paused. He'd survived a few nights in the big pen. Alone. The warden had placed him and the rest of his gang in separate areas, and he turned out just fine, and so had the rest of them. No gangbangers tried to commander Arturo, no one tried to take advantage of Big Billy, no one bothered with Grubber. He'd… technically been upset and worried over nothing. No one bothered him, no one talked to him- hell, no one even tried to do anything but sit there and go to sleep. They were too afraid of the warden and his cronies to make a move otherwise. He turned out fine. From the looks of the rest of his gang, they faired just about the same. No problem.

So then why was his heart racing?

Ace rested halfway up the stairwell, his back pressed hard against the reinforced walls, his hand pressed hard to his chest. He may have turned out fine, but that was only a couple of nights. Without his gang in the same cell, or even nearby, the lead Gangreen had panicked. Sleep had not come to him easily, if at all, and though it wasn't uncommon for Ace to have a bout or two of insomnia, it rarely made his skin crawl with worry. Take away the doting lackeys, the willing followers and what was left? He wasn't Ace of the Gangreen Gang, not without the gang. Without the gang he was just Ace – some punk kid with sunglasses and a vest. They even took his damned pocketknife. He wasn't half as menacing. He was nothing without his gang behind him.

Being reduced to nothing made Ace very, very angry.

Ace was not nothing. He needed to be something. He had to be – people had to know him, know who he was, fear him, respect him. He wasn't no one, dammit! He was Ace! Ace dammit! People knew him! They fucking _had_ to! He'd worked too hard to go unnoticed – he was an enemy of the Powerpuff girls. Hell he'd made _mortal_ enemies with Buttercup after that stunt he tried to pull. He'd almost succeeded too! Was it that he never really won? What that why he was nothing to anyone here? It wasn't like he was any less successful than Mojo or something - last time he checked the girls were still bustin' up his machines left and right. How the hell could he prove himself - Who's balls did he have to bust to get a lil respect around here?

He clutched his chest, snarling through his teeth. He was _not_ nothing. He was something more. Something… _someone_ who could command. Could dominate. He could lead – he just needed someone to follow him, hang on his every word. He had people to follow him. But he'd been deprived of that and he turned into this mess. This wasn't him. He was better than just some pawn. He wasn't a pawn. He wasn't.

Snake.

That meager little fucking wimp was this, not Ace. Ace had no right to be dragged down to this level. Only little shits like Snake belonged here. That bastard. He could hear him hissing away upstairs, completely content and fitting in just fine. That little fucker. How dare he be happy while his boss was so miserable! How dare he function like normal without being led around like a damned dog! Why was he hissing, chattering so happily? He scaled the stairs, hands balling into fists. Why was he so thrilled to be here? Was it just oh so much fun being under someone's' thumb? Little shit had no backbone. Was he glad to be away from his boss? No, that fucker couldn't function by himself. There was more to it. He must be glad- glad to be under someone else care.

Oh that fucking little-

Ace stopped dead, forcing his hands to stop shaking. That was it, wasn't it? Snake had adapted so quickly because he just needed any goddamn leader to follow. He'd get down on his knees to worship anyone who would give him somewhere to sleep. Oh no, this did not sit well with Ace at all. He was so fucking pissed he couldn't see straight. Snake, that little fuck, how dare he just cast him off like this! After all Ace had done for him how dare he _how dare he_ be happy away from him.

Ace finally found the Block Marker A and paused before making the turn. He took a breath. As pissed off as he was he couldn't just storm in there and demand answers. No, Snake would just get spooked and lie. Ace needed to appear calm. Get the truth out of the backstabbing little bitch and then wail on him for deserting. Snake was his, dammit. His property. His lackey. _His_. Ace would make damned well sure he'd never forget it.

Ace smiled and strode over to _his_ waiting follower.

"Ace" Snake hissed, immediately halting his conversation with whoever and poking his nose through the bars. "Ace youss freess! Waits. How did youss getss out?"  
"Ain't nothin special."

The lead Gangreen fished a large key ring our from his vest pocket and twirled it around his skinny finger, smiling and looking cocky as ever. Snake had never been so happy to see him. He was nearly fidgeting with excitement. His gaze flickered from the twirling keys to the relaxed, almost amused looking Sal. Sal would figure it out now – everyone knew Ace, the leader and poster boy for the Gangreen Gang. Snake grinned with pride, almost slithering out of the bars by sheer compulsion to be at Ace's side. Still the taller boy twirled the keys, looking cool and composed as ever.

"Whatcha waitin' forss? Let mess out!"

Ace said nothing, stepping toward the door. Snake, still giddy, backed up a bit and clasped his hands together, waiting for the latch to turn and the metal doors to slide open and Ace to bark orders. But that didn't happen. Ace just looked at him, smirk firmly in place. Sal peeked from his shadow, eyebrows raised in what looked like a mix of confusion and anticipation that most people reserved for soap operas. Snake smiled nervously and peered up at his steadfast leader, finding his voice to verbally prod him into movement.

"Ace?"  
"You didn't think you'd be getting out for free, didja?" He chuckled. "Yeah… no, ain't gonna happen. First you gotta do something for me…"  
"Whatss?" Snake amended his sentence immediately "What do Iss havess to do?"

Ace chuckled again, standing in front of the door, blocking Snake's vision of the outside. He slid his hands through the bars, crossing them, leaning on the thin metal support. Snake stepped closer. Maybe it opened from the inside or he couldn't tell which key it was. Ace beckoned him closer when he paused, tipping his shades down a bit. Something in his look, his stance, made Snake very uneasy. Something was wrong with Ace, but he could understand why he was a bit out of sorts – he'd been ambushed, beaten, separated from his gang, and tossed into a cell. He probably hadn't eaten either, and that always pissed him off something terrible. So Snake moved closer, as demanded, wanting to make his boss happy for once in what was probably a few days worth of misery.

The reptile was rewarded with a smile. It wasn't a really nice or sweet one, but Ace never did those well. Snake shuffled and waited for the door to open or to be given his task. He liked Sal and all and he could go a few more days without food and it was actually kind of nice to be in a temperature-regulated cell but still. He'd do anything to get the hell out of here.

"On your knees." Ace growled, that smile turning into one of his chilling smirks.  
"Whu-Whatss?"  
"You heard me."  
"Whyss-"  
"Do it."

Snake stared at him, his shoulders sagging. He smiled, or almost did. It was a nervous one, a frightened one. What had gotten Ace so worked up? Why was he s damned angry? The warden must have done something terrible before letting him go free. But on his knees? Really? What could he be… why was he even thinking of having him do that? Could he slide through the lower bars, maybe? He had tried that before. Even with his skinny body he couldn't force all of him through the bars, and whenever he tried the guy in the next cell would throw things at him. And Ace had the keys – why would he have to go through the bars? But Snake trusted Ace and his judgment on all things, so without a word otherwise he shrank to his knees and peered up at the taller male.

Ace's face twitched, and Snake trembled a little bit. He had done what Ace asked, so why did he look like that? Had he not done it quick enough? He breathed a little easier when Ace 's lips turned up into another smirk smile thing. At least he wasn't too pissed. Carefully, he leaned back, watching Ace wrap his hand around the bar briefly, squeezing it and taking a step closer. He detached on hand and slipped it through the door, grabbing Snake's bony shoulder and tugging him forward.

"You gotta do somethin' for me…" He started again, pulling the serpent toward his hips.  
"W-Whatsss?"  
"C'mon… you're a smart guy." Snake suddenly found he was face to face with the hem of Ace's shirt, trapped there by his boss' iron grip. "You piece it together."  
"I-Isss-" Snake hissed, his brain rapidly computing but refusing to understand all at the same time. "Hu-Huhss?"  
"What, I gotta spell it out for ya?" Ace purred, drawing Snake closer, reaching up to trace the rampant blush over his followers face "Fine then. Lessee if you undastand this."  
"B-Bosss?"  
"Suck me off and you'll go free." He smirked "And you betta do a damn good job. With dat tongue you gotta be good at it."

Snake was dumbfounded. He stared up at Ace, mouth agape, until he realized that was more or less what Ace wanted to see, and he shut his mouth up tight. His first instinct was to say no, to back up, to bite, to tell him off. But he couldn't do that. Not to Ace. He couldn't move, stuck in that position on his knees, half shocked and half shaking.

He trembled, feeling Ace's hand slide over his nose, carefully smoothing over his skin. His hands clenched around the bars, shaking despite his attempts to steel himself. He chanced another look at his leader, hoping for reprieve of any sort. Ace just smiled. He really expected him to… do this. The reptile felt his face heat up, burning hot under Ace's already too warm touch. He was painfully aware they had an audience, and though they were probably partially inattentive didn't change the fact they were only a glance away from seeing… what he was about to do. Snake suddenly recalled Sal, and his eyes flicked over to the older man across the way, half blocked by Ace's legs. He couldn't see him well, but knew he was watching.

Again Snake looked up, hissing nervously, hoping he could silently convince Ace not to do this to him. What had he done? Why did he need this? Ace had never been one for public acts of affection- and the closest acts of public humiliation he'd ever bothered with was punching him in the face. He had deserved those punches, shooting off his mouth like that. Why was Ace doing this?

"Go on…" Ace cooed.

Snake felt his stomach drop. He couldn't get out of this. Ace had asked him to do something, and he was expected to do it. He realized with no small measure of disgust how… willing he would be to do this. Ace wasn't exactly unattractive, and he'd be lying if he said he hadn't admired the older boy for a long time. But not like this. He'd never even dreamt Ace would demand this of him. He hadn't given it a moment's thought. But here he was. And he was going to do it. With a final gulp and tremor, the serpent leaned forward, trying to keep his breathing even. He'd do this for Ace. Only for him. It was sick and depraved, but he would do this without question if only Ace would stop being angry and let him come home. If only Ace would stop being angry with him... _Only for you, Ace. Only for you…_

Snake recoiled, hissing and holding his smashed face. Everything was screaming in pain and his vision blurred. Snake could only curse and whimper. What just happened? Did he slip? No... no Ace had his hand wrapped around his nose, squeezing tightly. Again he jerked his hand forward, forcing Snake's face to collide with the bars once more before he threw him back, his head bouncing uselessly against the concrete floor. Ace was already fuming, his teeth grit and his hands in fists by the time Snake sat back up and could see past the stars in his vision.

"You son of a bitch!" Ace snarled, gripping the front of Snake's shirt and hauling him back again. "You fucking asshole!"  
"A-Ace-"  
"Shut the hell up. Shut the _fuck_ up." The Gangreen leader's tone had shrunk to a harsh whisper, keeping the conversation private "You really that easy? Huh? You get on your knees for everyone like dat?"  
"N-no Bossss. I-"  
"Wha'd I tell you?"  
"Ss-s-ssorry."  
"He came up here and made you get on your knees too, didn't he? Tha fucking warden – I bet he _loved_ you." Ace growled "And I bet you did it and sucked him off like you goddamn life depended on it."  
"No!"  
"The fuck you didn't-"  
"No bosssss, I-I'd never-" The thin little reptile shook violently, hands clasping Ace's, trying to soothe his iron grip "Youss gotta believes me! Pl-Pleasssse bosss- I'd neversss do thatss!"

Ace considered for a minute. Snake looked fucking scared to all sorts of hell. That didn't make him any less pissed off, though. He could be lying. Then again, Snake looked too frightened to lie through his oversized teeth. He was shaking pretty bad. Like really bad. It almost made him feel upset. But then again this little fuck betrayed him, didn't he? Of course he did… though he never had. Ever. Fuck! Ace sneered at him slamming him into the bars again, making him yelp.

"Swear on your cigs?" Ace growled, pulling him back up off the floor and almost through the openings in the cell door.  
"Sssswear on my lifesss!" He cried, gripping his wrists pleadingly. "Pleassse- bosss-"

Ace shoved him back into the cell, snarling at the serpent. This guy… that little bastard. Why did he have to go and do that shit and confuse him, huh? This idiot. Fucking little slave. Ace couldn't even muster up the will to spit on him. He couldn't be bothered to do much more than throw the keys at the skinny little fucker and stomp off. He'd get over it. Snake could take a beating.

Snake shivered, getting to his hands and knees only Ace's footfalls had ceased. He tried to keep his hand from trembling too much. He couldn't see or think straight. He'd never seen Ace so angry. Was it his fault? Why? It had all happened so fast he couldn't even processed what had gone on. Snake held his stomach for a minute, panting and trying to keep from being sick. He made a desperate grab for the keys and crawled toward the iron bars, lifting himself up off the floor slowly. Sal watched him, making a soft clicking noise with his tongue once Snake had managed to work the key into the lock.

"So… dats your boss." He murmured, stepping out into the light. "Seems like a nice guy."  
"Youss don't know." Snake said quickly, finally turning the lock "He wass… wasss jussst…"  
"Beating you down." He finished, watching Snake's hand slip "What did you do?"

Snake didn't answer. He reached for the key again and fumbled with the cool metal, finally getting it to turn all the way. He managed to shove the iron bars across the floor and open up the cell enough so he could squeeze out. Snake brushed himself off and shook his head. His face was beginning to throb painfully and he pressed his nose to the bars to soothe the ache for a moment, just until he could see straight again. Once his hand had stopped shaking so badly Sanke grabbed the keys from the lock and fiddled with them. He turned, facing Sal but not looking at him. He started toward the door.

"Naw, don't bother kiddo." He said, waving his hands "Naw, I belong here. Jus' leave me."  
"But youss-"  
"The key for my cell ain't even on the ring. 'Sides, he came here to get you. Even if he did-"  
"He wasss jussst… Jussst looking outss for me. That'sss all." He pulled the keys toward his chest and faltered, dropping them stepping back a bit "He wassss… just makingss sssure I'm alrightss. He'sss not a bad guyss."

Sal just looked at him. He didn't say anything, didn't make any move. He just looked. Snake flinched anyhow. He might as well have cursed Ace and the gang. That silence was an insult. It was a no better than a slap or a punch to Snake or the rest of his gang. Ace wasn't a bad guy. He wasn't. Sal just didn't understand.

The reptilian teen hissed and scratched at his hat, looking down and away for a moment. He almost said goodbye, but instead he turned and fled back down to the lobby, where Ace was waiting.

* * *

**Wow that was bad. But it gets worse - don't you worry. **

**Thanks for reading anyway. Review if you'd like and have a pleasant day!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Wow last chapter actually didn't get me flamed. I honestly thought you guys would hate me for it. Thanks for sticking with the story (if you're still here)- You're all spectacular :D  
I reward you with more Drama! **

**Enjoy**

* * *

They were back again.

Ace was _not_ pleased.

This time they were there on purpose. They had robbed a convenience store for the second time in a week. They were hungry, so they tied up the clerk and ate away. In retrospect they probably shouldn't have also gone for the money and all the cigarettes (Snake swore he wasn't going to smoke them all just some and sell the rest) and a good few cases of booze (which they weren't sure if they were going to sell to high school kids or just drink). Much to their chagrin, they were joined by none other than the Powerpuff Girls. After a token chase and a light fight (there was a bank being robbed- this was low key) the Gangreen Gang gave up, flopping to the floor. The girls had dropped them off at Juvenile Hall and flew off.

But there they did not stay.

Oh no- that would have been too simple. The wardens knew them there, after all. The kids knew them there. There they were fuckin' heroes. They knew everyone and everyone knew them. But Juvie was full at the moment. It seemed like the warden from the Big House had dug his manicured fucking hands into Juvenile Hall too, thereby royally screwing up every penitentiary within the city limits.

So what did that mean for the Gangreen Gang?

It meant they went back to regular prison.

As stated before, Ace was not pleased.

"Son- please settle down" An older officer tried, hoping to mediate.  
"Fuck you!" Ace screamed back, spitting at him for added emphasis.  
"It's only for a day or so. Just until the filing system-"  
"Fuck you and your system!"  
"It's just that one – he'll be fine. I swear-"  
"Shut the fuck up!"

Even getting knocked up against a brick building by Buttercup and whacked with a Billy Club, Ace still had a credible amount of fight in him. Two larger officers were holding him back by the arms, and still skinny, smaller, half beaten Ace was managing to be a handful. It was bad enough Ace had been taken back to the Big House. It had given him more than enough nightmares and sleepless nights to contend within and without its walls – there was not a single reason he wanted to be back on this floor.

To hear they were separating his gang _again_, even if it was just Snake (especially because it was just Snake), made Ace fly into a rage none of the other Gangreen's had seen.

"Ace… Ace don'tss." Snake hissed, twisting a bit in his cuffs. "I'llss be okayss."  
"The fuck you will- bring him back here!" Ace snarled.  
"I can't do that son-" The older officer tried again.  
"Shut the fuck up and bring. Him. Here!"  
"We can't do that it's alphabetical order-"  
"We're all the fuckin' Gangreen Gang so we all go to the same fuckin place now bring him back here you asshole or I'll-!"

The officer on the left, sick of Ace's banter and threats and getting elbowed in the ribs, hit him with the club again, hoping it would shut him up. It did, for a moment, making an impressive 'whack' sound as it made contact with his face. His glasses were knocked askew and his nose began to drip blood. Still Ace managed to growl, staggering half limp in the officer's hold. The rest of the Gang chose then to pipe up, murmuring pleas for their boss to stop. They were ignored as far as minimal struggle, but then again Ace was never one to give up.

"I know you're upset" The elder policeman murmured, stepping forward now that he deemed it safe enough "But it has to be done. Alphabetical order is just easier right now. Sanford will be alright – and you'll have all your other… friends with you nearby."  
"Send Big Billy with him then." Ace tried, spitting away the blood dripping from his nose. He might not have been educated, but he knew that Billy was short for William, and 'W' was a hell of a lot closer to 'S' than 'A'…. maybe. He was pretty sure.  
"Big Billy." He echoed, blinking at the boy "With a 'B'. He goes on the lower floor. You know. A, B, C-"  
"Fucking idiot-"  
"Don't you start up again." The officer threatened, stepping back "Take them to their cells. Now please. Now!"

They were separated without another word. Ace might not like giving up, but he knew when he lost. He managed to catch Snake's eye, and tried to mouth a phrase or at least shoot him a glance, but before the serpent could really make anything of it he was scaling a familiar stairwell and being carted down a familiar hallway. They even put him in the same cell as before.

How lovely.

Snake sighed, rubbing his wrists once they were free of handcuffs. Immediately he felt bad for Ace. He was probably worried sick. He nearly threw a fit when he figured Grubber would be outside his immediate range of vision. And he had to go screw it up. Ace would hate him for sure, now. Ever since last time…

Snake released the bars he had been holding onto, remembering what happened not too long ago. He reached up and rubbed his nose, trying to stave off the phantom pains. He could still feel Ace's hands slide over his face, still see the look in Ace's eyes, still hear the clang of bars against his face… Snake hissed softly and tried to rub away the pain, shuffling backwards toward the cot. He just needed to sit down and wait and hope Ace would believe him this time. He'd just sit on this cot and stay right here and be good. With a soft hiss the serpent backed onto the bed and rolled over, staring at the wall.

"Lookie lookie who's back." Came a voice from above.

Snake shot up, banging his head on the upper cot. He whined and hissed sourly at the bunk bed above him, the turned his attention to dangling orange-swathed legs.

"Who'ssss there?"  
"Aw, you forgot 'bout me already?"

The body presumably attached to the legs dangling in front of him suddenly bent forward. A face peeked between the legs, that upside down smile frowning at him. Snake blinked. He couldn't forget that upturned nose and explosion of red hair against the pasty white face. He might not have the best facial recognition or memory out there, but he couldn't lose the image that fast.

"Sssal?"  
"Atta boy!"

Sal hopped off the top bunk and stood in front of Snake, crossing his arms and grinning with all the pride of someone who had been remembered. It was him, Snake was sure, but he couldn't keep from hissing violently. Sal across the hallway separated by two sets or iron bars was a very different creature than Sal within arms reach. At least that's what Ace had taught him. Sal seemed mildly amused, but he took a courtesy step back and up his hands up in defense while Snake hissed away and pressed his thin spine to the wall.

"Relax, kiddo. I'm not gonna hurtcha."  
"Howsss can I be sssssure?"  
"Heh. You're careful, kid. But I ain't. I'm kinda getting bored- could use the company."  
"Companysss? Isss thatsss what they're callingsss itsss nowss?" He curled into a tighter ball and hissed louder,"Sssstay awaysss, pervertsss!"  
"Not like that, kid. I'm too old for that." Sal chuckled and shook his head, trying a step closer.

Snake relaxed a little bit. He wasn't sure why, but there was something familiar about this guy. It wasn't just because he had spent some time with him for the few days he was locked up here the first time. It might be a part of it, but it wasn't just that. The way the older man carried himself, the way he stood, the way he spoke, and the way he found himself reacting to the words he said and how he said them set off alarm bells in Snake's head. There was something definitely familiar about this guy. Something he knew well and found himself trusting though he barely knew him. Snake hissed a bit and shifted forward, hoping the silence hadn't been drawn out too long and become awkward. Luckily, Sal broke the ice for him.

"Whatcha in for this time?"  
"Held up a convincesss sssstore."  
"You're still too young to be here."  
"Warden from beforesss sssscrewed up Juviesss too."  
"God damn that man got 'round. Wonder who he fucked to get his hands in so many places." In spite of himself, Snake laughed, and Sal took another step closer.  
"You're sssstill-?"  
"Yeah, livin' out my sentence. Should be done sometime soon. Maybe. Ah fuck I dunno. They felt like movin' me, I guess."  
"Alphabeticalsss ordersss."  
"Oh."  
"Offsss early?" Snake tried "For good behaviorsss?"  
"Not me, kid. Thanks for the vote of confidence though."

Snake moved over, allowing Sal room to sit beside him. He was still wary, but he kind of trusted him. Maybe. A little. Hell, Snake might have been a little on the scrawny side and smaller than the older prisoner, but he was fast and young. He could take him if push came to shove. He scoped out the space as a reflex, making note of the mirror and toilet and sink and what he could hide behind or smash into weaponry.

"Snake?"  
"Yesss?"  
"You gonna be goin off in your own world like dat all the time?"  
"Nos… what did you sssay?"  
"I asked if you were still with that guy that came up for you before?"  
"Yesss."  
"Oh."

Oh? What did he mean 'oh.'? Snake was hissing again, and Sal leaned away. Just 'oh'? Where the hell did he get off? Ace was the leader of the Gangreen Gang – the best, most infamous damn gang within the walls of the city. You don't just 'oh' that. You don't just 'oh' Ace! That was a fucking insult! Snake wouldn't take that shit. Even if he did like Sal he would get away with an 'oh' like that.

"Shit, you're good at that hissin' stuff."  
"Whatssss do you meansss, 'oh'?"  
"Huh? Oh, that. Don't get all bent outta shape, kid. Just sayin'."  
"Sssayings whatsss?"

Sal eyed him, still leaning away from Snake's profuse hissing. He sighed a bit, slouching forward, wrapping one skinny hand around the support bar holding up the top bunk. Snake found himself relenting a bit when the older man suddenly broke eye contact and looked at the floor, his free arm hanging off his knee. Why did he look so upset? Snake caught himself shivering when Sal looked back up. It was like he was looking right through him.

"Maybe that aint great your boss is beatin you to all sorts of hell for something you didn't do." He said suddenly.  
"Sssshut up!" Snake snapped, the tension returning, "Yousss don't knows why-"  
"Well why then?"  
"He'ss- huh?"  
"Why did he mess with you?"  
"I… He wassss jussst-"  
"There wasn't a reason, was there?" Sal pressed, "He just beats up on you whenever the hell he feels like it."  
"No-"  
"Doesn't he?"  
"Noss! He'sss…. He's betters than thatss."  
"Kid-"  
"Ssssshuts up!"  
"Fine."

Sal put up his hands in defeat, getting up off the bed and hopping up to his bunk. He didn't say anymore, simply shuffling around until he got comfortable. Snake heard him sigh and relax. What had he been going on about? What the hell did he care, anyway? Snake stretched out and shivered at the cold. He shifted around, looking for a warm spot, grudgingly taking up as little space as possible in the warm patch Sal had left. He almost spoke up and asked the man to come back down and explain what he meant while he sapped him of more warmth – but that would be weak (not to mention terribly weird). Instead, he balled himself into a coiled mass and hissed.

It was too quiet for him.

"You ever stop hissin' kid?"  
"No."  
"That's gotta be fuckin' annoying." He paused, letting the hissing fill up the cell "I'm sorry I pushed. You don't got no venom, does ya?"  
"Notss that I know of."  
"Good. Don't go bitin' me to check."

In spite of himself, Snake began to laugh.

O/////////O

A day or so later, the two cellmates were on much better terms. Sal had apologized again (this time he actually uttered the words 'I'm sorry') after an awkward night and Snake had accepted it. They got to talking, and everything seemed to smooth over and even out. They were going to be spending an undefined amount of time in here, they figured, so why make it terribly awkward?

Even so, Snake was cautious. Every so often Sal would try and prod, get a little too close to him. It wasn't exactly awful, but it got too close. Far too close. It frightened him, how much Sal seemed to know. It was like he knew everything that was happening, like he knew how Ace acted in any given situation, like he knew how Snake reacted to Ace in any given situation. Snake wasn't all that bright, but he figured that Sal had been a part of a gang at one point and, considering he asked to be called boss, he was the head of it. The reptile thought of asking him what happened to his gang, just to make him shut up, but as small as it was Snake did have a heart. He couldn't bring himself to do it.

At least he knew why he was so at ease with Sal around. He was like another boss. He wasn't a replacement, not at all. It just helped him function correctly. That was more than enough. As a plus he didn't have to hear it when he refused some breakfast. Ace would always force food down his throat. Sal just ate his share on top of his own rationed food. Suited Snake just fine.

"You sure you don't wanna eat?"  
"Nosss. I'm finess."  
"Okay, suit yourself." Sal mumbled, wolfing down whatever remained of Snake's share "You gonna be okay?"  
"I'm not hungrysss."  
"No, I mean your boss." Snake hissed a little in warning "You ain't seen him in a while. He gonna be pissed?"  
"I dunnosss."

Snake was suddenly apprehensive. How would Ace react when he saw him again? True, it had been much less time and there were other gang members really close by for him to beat up on if he got pissed off, but that hadn't stopped him last time. With a nervous hiss, Snake drew his legs up to his chest. It probably wasn't great that he and Sal were getting all buddy buddy. Last time Snake had been in the cell alone – how was Ace going to believe him when there was another guy, sitting right next to him, patting his shoulder.

What?

He twitched away from the heat on his arm, lifting his head to look where it came from. A pale hand came into view, entirely too close to him. The serpent recoiled, hissing at the older inmate who had taken up space next to him. Sal help up his hands in defense (he did that a lot around Snake and it was starting to make him feel like a jerk) and smiled a little.

"Cool it, kid. I ain't gonna hurtcha. You gotta phobia or somethin'?"  
"N-Noss."  
"You twitched pretty bad."  
"I don't knowsss you. Don't touchsss"  
"Sorry."  
"'Sssokay."

Sal gave him one of those far-reaching, sad glances. Snake had been getting a lot of those too, lately. It was like very time Sal tried to prod and Snake told him to screw off (politely, of course), he'd get this distant look in his eye and have this sad little smile on his face. It was fucking weird and made the reptilian teen squirm internally. What the hell was wrong with this guy? He wasn't some damned pity case – he could stop looking at him like that.

"Whatsss?" Snake hissed  
"Nothin. I... nothin."

To save himself from another one of those probing, knowing looks, Snake turned over and tried to get some sleep.

* * *

**And the we're back to buildup! Fun! More stuff happens soon I swear.**  
**Thanks for reading! Review if you like and have a great day! **


	6. Chapter 6

**Slightly shorter chapter, surrounding Ace this time! He needs more face time, I've decided. And boy is he ever going to get it.**

**Did I ever mention you guys are fantastic? Because you are... and I might have a tad bit of bad (not bad, just not all that great) news. It seems life feels like screwing me over again, and since I fail at planning ahead and my muse has left me for a younger woman I might have to delay updating for another week while I get myself a little breathing room. I'm not abandoning Jailbird- oh hell no. I've put way too much time and thought into it for me to just up and drop it, but there's a bit of a crunch going on in the real world and I need to not fail at college. I swear I'll keep posting, it just might take me an extra week.**

**In addition to the 'might not be updating' crap, I issue this:  
Fair warning, next chapter involves more creative license than I've already used. No Mary Sues or Marty Stus, I promise- but there is... well, I'm not going to spoil it. Just be forewarned.**

**Enjoy**

* * *

"Boss? Boooss? Jefe, _usted vive_?"  
"Piss off Arturo I'm tryin ta sleep."  
"Lo siento, Ace."  
"You fucking talk in your sleep, yah know that?"  
"Lo siento, Ace."  
"Yeah you'd better be fuckin' sorry."

Ace rolled over, one of his hands balling into a fist. He was not in a good mood. He hadn't slept. Something kept him awake. Something more than Arturo's untranslatable babble, more than Billy's snoring, more than the whispers and creeks from the other stall. He just couldn't bring himself to shut his eyes. He kept thinking. Worrying. About Snake.

Okay, so the last time he did the same thing and made himself go half crazy. He'd almost made the guy suck him off – what the hell was he thinking? He silently admitted to himself he had gotten a bit too carried away. Snake would never betray him, not like that. Snake had too much riding on his second-man position, not to mention he totally wanted him. Even if he didn't quite know it yet – the way he gasped when Ace touched him or the look in his eye spoke volumes without confessing anything. Ace thought he had ruined that for the first day or so out, but at always Snake had forgiven him and returned seamlessly to his old ways.

It was… almost flattering they way Snake revered him. Like he was some sort of hero. He wasn't no hero. He was just some punk kid who got lucky enough to last this long. He just got lucky was all. Snake got lucky too, and they all just found each other by pure accident. Why Snake had attached to him was a mystery – be he did kind of appreciate it. It was a huge boost to his ego whether he was beating him down or toying with his advances. It made him feel like he had control over something.

If that didn't make him sound like the biggest asshole…

Ace snorted and gripped the cardboard pillow, shoving it under his head. It didn't make him bad. No. It made him smart. Tough. He was the strongest – he damned well better have someone under his thumb. The more someones the better. The more gullible and stupid the someones the better. Four was a good number, he decided. Not too many and not too little – and easy to hopelessly deadlock in case a mutiny came around. Ace knew he'd always have Snake on his side. He'd always rally right behind him, no questions asked.

The lead Gangreen grimaced, curling tighter around himself. He was worried – that much he would admit. He was worried sick about everything. He never thought he'd be back, at least not for a while. He thought he could beat the system for a little while longer. At the very least he though Snake would be down the hall from him, if not in the same cell. His heart beat so hard and so fast it was beginning to hurt.

"Billy!" He suddenly called "Hey Billy you doin' okay?"  
"Huh? Oh- Oh I'm fine boss! How are _you_?"  
"Grubber!" Ace called again, ignoring Billy's question  
"Pppthbt?" Answered him from down the hall  
"Nothin… just checkin."

Ace sat up on the cot, drawing one of his legs up to rest his chin on it. He could just spot the tips of Big Billy's fingers waving happily back and forth, saying hello. Despite himself, Ace smiled a little bit, letting it be as weak and flimsy as he damn well pleased. Arturo shifted somewhere outside his line of vision, and he immediately corrected it, putting that hard mask of indifference back on. Didn't need him to start asking questions…

But it happened anyway.

"Boss?" Arturo asked, shuffling forward, limping a bit on his left leg. He had landed pretty hard on the candy shelves after Bubbles kicked him.  
"Whassat?"  
"Checking to see if you were okay, boss." He paused "Is you?"  
"Am I what?"  
"Okay?"  
"Lesse. I'm in a jail cell. I got my ass kicked by three little girls. Some dick policeman smacked me in the mouth. The gang's been ripped up and I dunno where one of 'em is. My back is killing me. I'm fuckin' starving. Some annoying little prick is asking me if I'm alright. Oh yeah, I'm just fine."  
"_Usted no necesita ser un asno sobre él_-"  
"English."  
"Sorry Boss. I'll be quiet."  
"…Arturo?"  
"Si, jefe?"  
"You're okay, right?"  
"Si, jefe. _Soy bueno_. Don' worry about me, man."  
"Good."

Ace lay back down again, rubbing his eye. He debated taking off his sunglasses and getting some actual sleep, but it would be a long time in coming, if it would come at all. He let his hand fall uselessly beside his face so he could stare at it. It clenched and unclenched until he could feel the blood pulsing in it. He pulled the appendage toward his chest; letting the two pulses thud painfully together, hoping that they'd cancel each other out and stop the hurt. Just for a few minutes.

He really needed the sleep.

O//////O

In accordance with Townsville Statute Law, Section 1354, Article VII, as decided by His Honor Judge Wally Y. Roth on April 3, 1957: The party of those found to be held in contempt of court, accused of a misdemeanor, felony, or crime of any sort, must be first and only be held on the grounds that there is reasonable evidence of said crime taking place. Any efforts, legal or otherwise, inflicted by the penal or judicial system without this evidence is unlawful and is to be disregarded, and the accused granted freedom and complete pardon. No exceptions.

Basically, someone screwed up the paperwork, and rather than be sued for false imprisonment, they had to let them go.

This, of course, prompted one of Ace's favorite past times: rubbing the failure or weakness of others relentlessly in their faces.

"So we're free ta go?"  
"Yes."  
"Totally off tha hook?"  
"Yes."  
"So… we can go now?"  
"Yes yes YES! Just GO already!"

Ace cackled, strolling out of the cell, the dejected officer gripping the iron bars with such ferocity that the bars were shaking. Arturo was right at his heels, laughing into his hands and cheerfully cursing them all out in Spanish. The other two Gangreens in the hall were decidedly nicer about being granted freedom; Big Billy hugged the poor man that opened the door for him and Grubber licked his. Oh, this was one for the record books.

Once in the lobby, the officer that had booked them looked right down and mumbled something about them getting them out of here in just a minute. Ace grinned and adjusted his shades. Cool. He'd be out to do whatever soon. Not that he would do anything. He wasn't the smartest guy around, but he knew to quit while he was ahead. The last thing Ace wanted to happen was to get thrown back in here again. He figured it was probably a good idea to lie low for a little while - at least until the penal system wasn't fucked up anymore. All he needed to do was gather the rest of 'em up and stash 'em away somewhere safe until everything was back to normal. He was almost there; just one short at the moment.

Speak of the hissing devil.

"H-Hey Ace."  
"Bout time you showed up" Ace snapped, smiling despite his tone.

Snake gulped a little and shifted nervously. When no sudden punch came he let out a soft sigh of relief and slithered over to his side, taking up his usual spot. The serpent hissed, as close to ecstatic as he'd ever dare to be out in the open in front of the gang. A quick glance up at his leader proved he was pretty damn happy himself. They just had to last two more minutes for the paperwork to get stamped and they'd be free to go and cause mischief at their leisure.

"You okay, Snake?" Ace asked, staring ahead rather than looking at him.  
"Yesss Bossss."  
"Good." He paused for a minute, sniffing "Who'd you room with?"  
"Ssssome guy. He wasss nice I guesss."  
"Didn't make no move on ya?" He teased, smirking at the rest of the gang's chuckles.  
"Ssshut upss." The serpent hissed, shoving Arturo in place of Ace. This was as close to normal as he'd been in a while. He didn't want to wreck it by overstepping a boundary by laying his hands on Ace, however playful it might have been. "Nosss. He wasss a good guysss."  
"Oh yeah? Bettah than me?"  
"No." Snake answered quickly, shaking his head "He didss kinda remind me of youss, though."  
"No shit?"  
"No ssshit."  
"Huh."

The conversation, though out in the open, was purely between the Ace and Snake. The other gang members knew better than to make it obvious that they eavesdropped, if they even dared to listen. Even Big Billy knew better than that. Ace peeked over his sunglasses and even went so far as to smile at the reptile. He felt better now that Snake was here, and likewise Snake felt better Ace was close by. The skinnier Gangreen shuffled closer. He'd never been so happy to be this close to home. He liked Sal and all, but he really just wanted to get the hell away from here as fast as he could. If it could be helped, he'd like to never come back. He could only hope that Sal, the only one who showed him any kindness at all, would get the hell out of here in once piece too.

Snake lifted his head and scratched at his hat, looking around. Ace had lost interest in him and was staring hard at the police chief, who seemed to be unable to focus with Ace boring holes into the side of his head. The rest of the Gang seemed perfectly content with spacing out and looking in separate directions, partially keeping an eye out for disturbances and partially not giving a shit anymore and wondering what was taking so damned long. Snake, who was noticeably more alert, looked around the ground floor for what he hoped would be the last wasn't exactly pretty- but it wasn't supposed to be. He saw some cells, a desk, some chairs, lots of grey – surely the kind of thing that would prevent him from sleeping for a few days out of fear he'd wake up trapped within the bland walls again. Somewhere in the mess of grey, however, Snake spotted a moving clump of orange, spiky red hair and ashen pale skin separating one clump from the rest of them.

"That'ss him overss there." Snake muttered, pointing out the orange-clad convict to Ace, should he be listening. Much to his surprise Ace _was_ paying at least some attention and he craned his head to look and see.

That was just about when all hell broke loose.

* * *

**Cliffhanger!**  
**I am fully aware how awful of a person I am. Hopefully I'll have chapter seven up and not have to shun it and make you guys wait because I fail at prioritizing.**  
**Thanks for reading! Please try not to hate if I have to put it on hiatus!**


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm sorry this took so long to update, and there is so little to show : /**  
**I wish I could have brought you all a huge mega awesome chapter, but I swear, this chapter kept fighting me. But I made it happen. Not my favorite chapter, but it is done, and the updates will be regular, on Fridays, from now on unless something terrible happens.**  
**Thank all of you for sticking around in my time of fail. You're all awesome. **

**Enjoy**

* * *

It should have been a blessing to come back home.  
But it wasn't.

What should have been routine had been interrupted by a troublesome addition. Thinking about it made Snake's head spin, but he couldn't keep it from playing over and over in his head, couldn't forget how bad he'd screwed up this time. He hadn't meant to. He never meant to screw up. When he did he took punishment – a punch to the nose or whatever other part of him Ace felt like hitting for however long. It was a shame – he had done so well lately. He hadn't needed to be hit or hurt or reminded of his place. Ace hadn't had to hit him.

Until now. Now Ace had every right to hurt him for the stupid stunt he pulled.

Distantly, Snake realized how masochistic he was being. Aside from silently begging for punishment rather than having to deal with the cold, unrelenting silence in the clubhouse, he was finding himself sincerely regretful of the outside friendship he had formed. He had no right to do that. The people in the Gangreen Gang were his friends. Everyone else was either a target or a liability or a cop. Couldn't trust any of them. But off he went, making small talk with some strange guy who, of all people, was somehow at the top of Ace's shit list. Realistically, he should be able to make friends with whoever the hell he wanted. If Ace was able to go off and party or whatever the hell else he did, then Snake could break silence in a cold jail cell and make a non-green friend too. Problem was he picked the worst possible candidate for that position – something he was sure would net him a hell of a lot more than the usual black eye.

Snake peeked through his fingers, not quite raising his head but not quite hiding it either. Ace had taken to sitting at his usual place at the table, the forced addition to the Gangreen Gang at the opposite end. They stared each other down. Not a word had been spoken for the past four hours. Not in the jailhouse. Not on the walk or subway ride home. Not since they got inside (the fact the strange man had even been allowed _in_ was something that baffled all of Ace's followers). Not a single, goddamn word.

It was driving Snake insane.

Desperately he replayed the scene over again, trying to find the first in his string of mistakes. Perhaps, if he started at the very beginning, made sure every one was accounted for, Ace would only have to raise hell once and they could move on. He started with pointing the orange-clad felon out in the lineup of slow moving convicts on their way to lunch. That was first. Then came the sudden look of unshakable fury etched into Ace's face. His carefree, half there glare to the chief had been twisted and replaced by a snarl feral enough to rival half the monsters that knocked the city over on a daily basis. Before Snake could realize his error Ace's arm had shot out and grabbed the front of his shirt. He hauled the skinny boy up, bringing him close to his face; his grip shaking while Snake dangled a good few inches off the floor.

"You stay the fuck away from him." Ace had seethed. He left no room for debate or explanation.

Snake nodded (knowing far better than to even so much as hiss) and he was accordingly dropped, but the damage had been done. Sal had spotted them and, had spotted his route of escape. Snake made the mistake of glancing over his shoulder. He saw the older man grin, tap the guard on the shoulder and start talking. He saw the guard make an 'o' of surprise and nod, gesturing over to the group of them. Sal nodded in turn, turning toward the group, looking straight at the serpent.

Snake had paled and tried to hide behind Big Billy.

Snake's sudden movement and lack of color had put Ace even more on edge. He glared daggers at the clerk who had taken the chief's place, his hand curling into a fist. All the while he kept glancing side was at Snake, who was trying not to look at either his boss or the approaching felon. The other three, blissfully unaware of what was going on, looked between the two boys and shrugged. Arturo tried to knock Snake's knees and get some information out of him, curious and horrified about Ace's sudden mood swing, but Snake was too busy trying not to notice the steady, even footfalls that echoed louder and louder.

And then all at once it was over.

With grace and flexible ease that put even Snake to shame, Sal had slipped past both Big Billy and Grubber, knocking Lil' Arturo out of place, and came to rest to Ace's right and Snake's left. Though smack dab in the middle, Snake didn't miss the flash of rage across Ace's face – directed toward who he wasn't sure, but he reached up to rub the soon-to-be bruise on his nose (should he be lucky enough to escape with only that much damage).

Arturo being unceremoniously kicked out of place by the unobservant Sal made the clerk look up. He eyed the new addition, glancing between Ace and his papers and the pale man who had suddenly shown up. Sal smiled back, face curling into one of the most genuine bullshit smiles Snake had ever seen. He glanced between the two boys, his gaze lingering particularly on Ace, before he cleared his throat.

"S'okay." Sal had said, wrapping his arm around Ace's and Snake's shoulder "I'm with them."

Of course, Snake expected this to be the part where Ace would protest. He would snarl and yell and whack his jailhouse friend across the mouth for being so foolish as to touch him. There would be a prison fight and the guards would swarm and they would either get thrown back into their cells or preferably sneak out unnoticed so they could just go home already. Sure Snake would feel bad about helping to beat down the older man but what had to be done would have to be done.

But that wasn't what happened, seeing as how that sharp shiv was pressed just as much against Ace's neck as the one pressing into his own. Ace might have been seething, but he wasn't an idiot. Even if he was thinking of doing something stupid, the silent pleading look on Snake's face kept him from acting on it.

Sal smiled convincingly enough to scare the clerk into hurrying along the papers. The rest of the gang, already baffled beyond asking for explanation, stood stupidly around them. Ace was too angry and valued his life too much to make any move or say anything. He did, however, manage to glare at the other green boy Sal had a grip on. Snake, at a loss for anything else to do or say, had put his face in his hand, and there it had stayed.

Snake felt like it was all his fault.

If only he hadn't talked. If only he had just kept his big mouth shut and divided the cell and made sure not to talk to him – but what was in the past was in the past. He got into this mess, and he was trying as hard as he could to think of a way out of it. There had to be something he could do. Anything to make the silence go away. But the serpent couldn't even bring himself to hiss to break it – how was he going to actually _say_ anything?

It seemed like the entirety of Gangreen Gang shared the sentiment. They'd much rather it uncomfortably in their usual places. Only Snake was stupid enough to delude himself into thinking sitting like this would make everything alright, like it would change anything. He had the gall to relax for a few seconds before he became all too aware of the rigid postures of his fellow Gangreens, all spurred on by the stranger in their home and the angry frown on Ace's face.

Snake risked peeking up between the two of them again, hiding his hiss behind his palm. Nothing had changed – not yet. The shack creaked impossibly loud in the silence. Neither Ace nor Sal had bothered to move, though while Ace looked tense and furious Sal almost looked bored. His scruffy shin was propped up in a pale hand, his other arm thrown haphazardly across the wood. Occasionally his filthy fingers would tap the tabletop, but other than that he just looked at Ace, as if waiting for him to start something.

Ace, by contrast, seemed wound tight enough to splinter under his own grip. The rest of the gang had almost stopped breathing – lest they breathe too loud and take the brunt of Ace's rage. At present he was gripping the edge of the table and the back of the chair, his face drawn tight into what could be foolishly mistaken for disappointment. Snake worried for Sal – at any moment Ace would snap and, given the position he was in, pull the table toward him to knock the older man off balance and then throw the chair right at his face.

Snake hid his face again, trying to shrink into nothing. He was so screwed. He had made such a terrible mistake and now everyone was paying for it. Figures he would be the one to do it. Not only had he made contact with someone outside, someone who no one was sure they could trust. More than that, he had befriended a felon from the big house – the one place that managed to give them more grief than the Powerpuff Girls. But that wasn't all – he had to bump it up to the worst possible thing he could have done to Ace without even _meaning_ to. He had to go and pick out the worst person in the worst place and all but call him over and step aside while he just slithered into their lives. Snake bowed his head further, the heels of his hands digging into his eyes, his hiss forcibly cut off behind teeth grit so hard they hurt. He had really done it this time, and he wasn't sure he could ever make this right again.

Because it wasn't just any felon sitting across from the angry gangster.  
It was his father.

* * *

***shockhorror**  
**This was the thing I warned you about in the last chapter. I don't blame you if you hate me now. It will be explained further in the next/upcoming chapters, since this one came out more filler than I wanted. This will make sense, eventually. I swear. I have a plan.**

**Thanks for reading! **


	8. Chapter 8

**Oh goodness! It's on time!  
Another short-ish post. I wish I could make these longer but every time I try it comes out awkward and not flowy : / **  
**The next one - that'll be a good one. I can feel it in my old bones**

**Enjoy**

* * *

The revelation had come as a surprise to everyone.

It was true that they all came from families one way or another. Theoretically, that meant they all had fathers and mothers and maybe a sibling or two. It was just they never _talked_ about them. There was never any reason to. Everything before the gang was a hazy memory for most of them. Of course there were exceptions to this rule – Arturo telling stories about his _papi_ Macho Arturo, Billy mentioning a Mommy once or twice, Snake and his Uncle's switchblade. But that was all talk. Rare, often intensely personal talk that slipped out under the pressure of alcohol or just plain loneliness.

It could also be said they were a kind of family. It might have been pushing it just a little, but in a way it was true. They lived together, watched out for each other, made sure they were eating and dumped them off at the free clinic when they were ill. But the term 'family' never quite came up. Despite needing each other, they were a far cry from brotherhood. They were more like roommates when it came right down to it. That suited them better – should something happen. The Gangreen Gang was a gang, an almost-family, but not a family.

To be exposed to the notion of an _actual_ family again, a living, breathing example of it no less, made it that much more daunting to consider. They were stuck dumb into silence. It could be they were all thinking about their own families, trying hard to relate to their poor leader. It could be they were too nervous being around another authority figure, or that they were trying to gauge how to behave in the presence of their bosses father. Then again, it might have had something to do with how the news was broken.

"You gonna say somethin' or just lookit me." Sal had drawled after an insufferably long period of silence.  
"Gimme one good reason I shouldn't kick your ass." Ace snapped, his blunt nails digging into the table.  
"You mean other than me bein your dad?" Everyone gasped despite themselves, save Ace. Ace was too busy seething. "How 'bout the fact that I could hand your ass to ya faster than you could blink."  
"You son of a _bitch_!"

A fight had ensued. Ace had started it, slamming his hands on the table and half lurching across it. Sal backed up, as did the rest of the gang, but the only thing exchanged were violent words – at first. The second fixtures started flying Ace ordered everyone out of the shack. The shouts were grating, unmasked, and furious. No matter how far Snake slithered away he could still hear them. He wasn't sure if the rest of the gang could. They, like before, stayed quiet, putting a decent amount of garbage between themselves and the fight.

After a time Arturo spoke up, volunteering to lead them to food and an alternate place to stay for the night. Billy and Grubber had agreed, but despite provocation Snake wouldn't leave the dump. Though he had been kicked out of his home he couldn't muster up the courage to completely leave. He wanted to be around, in case of trouble. Besides, he didn't disserve food or a bed tonight, anyway. Not after all this.

Snake saw them out and made sure they cleared the first few blocks, of course, but no matter how many looks Big Billy threw at him he remained inside the dumps' gates. As soon as the trio was out of sight he retreated back into garbage mounds. He made his way back to the ramshackle shed. While Snake wasn't foolish enough to set foot within ten feet of the fixture, he ambled around it, making wide circles, going away and coming back again, all while inhaling cigarettes to will himself to stop shaking. The shouting had died down to talking with periodic bursts, but it had calmed. He heard both voices and assumed neither was injured.

One of his trips away and back brought him back to silence. This scared the serpent, but he still wouldn't go too near the house. He saw moving – but only one figure. Immediately he assumed the worst – that one of them was on the ground bleeding out and they would have to either drag him to the clinic or he'd have the entirely undesirable new experience of being an accessory to murder. Briefly Snake considered bailing – running to catch up to the remaining Gangreens and keeping as far away from the trouble as possible.

But he couldn't bring himself to leave.

Snake scratched at his hat, approaching the shack carefully. Regardless of the danger that he was putting himself in, Snake could not just up and leave. He owed Ace everything, and Sal was his friend – he and his twisted, misguided sense of loyalty could at least do them some courtesy. He just needed to calm one down and make sure the other wasn't dead. Admittedly, he hoped Ace was the one in the shack and that they could just drag Sal off somewhere and get his beating over with so they could go back to normal.

That hope was dashed when the door flung open suddenly and out stepped Sal, a little ticked off looking but otherwise fine.

The serpent had dived for cover the second the door slammed against the adjacent wall. When he saw Sal stroll out like he owned the place his stomach dropped. It wasn't that Ace couldn't defend himself, nor did he believe Ace would go down that easy. Snake pushed the queasy feeling of doubt out of his mind and slithered out, keeping a safe distance. If Sal could make Ace fly into such a rage perhaps he had reason to be somewhat afraid of the guy – not to mention those shiv's he used back at the jailhouse were still somewhere on his person.

Sal, however, seemed more than happy to see him and turn chummy. He grinned at Snake and turned to face him, showing his free hands. Snake watched him carefully, his gaze flickering between the felon and the shack. There was no sign of movement from inside and Sal looked far too happy to have just come out of a fight with Ace of the Gangreen Gang.

"Was wonderin' where you ran off." Sal drawled, scratching his beard "Where's the rest of ya?"  
"Where'sss Ace?" He hissed cautiously  
"He's okay. Ran off somewheres to think."  
"Ohs… which way did hesss-"  
"I wouldn't chase after him, kid. He's pretty pissed."  
"What did you doss to him?"  
"I dunno. Probably hung up on the whole abandoning thing. I dunno."

They remained like that for a tense moment, until Snake's fingers started to quiver. Without even thinking about it h fished out a cigarette and took a few heavy puffs. He calmed, exhaling smoke, but he was still wary of how close Sal was. Snake exhaled, hissing to get Sal to back off, which he said promptly did. The silence settled over them, though this time much more comfortable. Snake wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. Should he be this complacent around someone who so obviously irritated his leader? Shouldn't he be _looking_ for said leader? Sure, he'd be walking straight into a beating – but he still had to look for him. Soon. In a minute.

"You oka-"  
"I sshouldn't be talkingsss to you." Snake blurted, taking a reflexive step back "Thisss is sssso messssed up."

The reptilian Gangreen groaned. Everything that had been weighing down on him since the first imprisonment seemed to suddenly chose that moment to crush him. He felt guilty – like it was his fault. Deep down he knew it wasn't but the fact remained Ace was upset, and if Ace was upset he was supposed to make it so that he _wasn't_ upset and that was exceedingly hard to do when Ace wasn't there to make not upset. He blamed himself, and he should take his beating so Ace would be less angry. If all it would take was a couple a bruises or a broken bone, he'd gladly submit himself.

Sal, however, looked less than convinced of Snake's stance. He frowned at the smoking serpent, shaking his head and crossing his arms. Snake didn't notice him at first, stuck inside his own worries. Luckily for him, Sal had some wealth of patients about him. Once Snake opened his eyes and looked toward the recently escaped prisoner he began to speak.

"It ain't your fault."  
"Yessss it isss…"  
"Why – 'cause ya talked to me?"  
"Ah-"  
"Bullshit. I would've found him sooner or later. He's just bein a bitch about it."

Sal kicked at the ground and ambled over to Snake, who, though he was normally rather quick, couldn't force himself to move away quick enough. It was like he was rooted in that one place, powerless to stop Sal from throwing his skinny arm casually around his neck. Snake gave a token twitch, but he was too tired to move. The ache forming in his head was far surpassing his desire to put up a fight. Not that he wouldn't _start_ fighting should the older male make a false move. Ace's estranged father or not (with or without that shiv) he could take the old man.

Snake raised his head though his shoulders sagged. Sal eyed him sympathetically. The poor kid looked like was about crack, if not completely shatter. To add insult to injury, he was cold and shaking - though Sal wasn't sure if they were mutually exclusive. The lanky teen was under far too much pressure to simply be shaking from the cold. The fire stick in his mouth probably wasn't doing nearly as much as good as he thought it was. Sal seemed pitied him – but then again Snake wasn't especially receptive to it. It was just as well; Sal was pretty sure he had forgotten how to do that quite some time ago.

"It ain't your fault." Sal repeated, patting his bony shoulder "It's mine, I guess. He'll get over it."  
"Howss can you be sssure?"  
"I don't. I'm just optimistic, I guess."  
"Youssss ssstrange." Snake muttered, eyeing him "For a convictsss, I means."  
"You think?" Sal shrugged, pushing him towards the door "Eh. Come on. Wait inside."  
"I don't thinksss-"  
"I'll wait outside. You're fuckin' frozen. Jesus kid – how do you deal?"  
"I doss what I cansss."  
"S'all you can do sometimes. Now get inside 'for I gotta drag you."

* * *

**What a nice heart to heart.**  
**Guess what's not gonna happen again in the near future :D**  
**I'm so awful to these guys, seriously. **

**Thanks for reading! **


	9. Chapter 9

**Blarg. Sorry for the late update, readers. Real life is annoying, but I won't bore you with my boring tales of retail and college and weird friends. **

**Instead, I will bring you the next installment! It's a little bit on the short side, but it is pointing the plot in the right direction, I mean it. I have a plan for this, even if it is growing wildly into epicfic (by my standards - she who writes only oneshots). **

**Enjoy.**

* * *

Much to Snake's surprise Ace _did_ return later that night. He looked a bit beat up and still pissed off, but he looked better than the screaming mess Snake had seen glancing over his shoulder as he fled the house. Part of the serpent was thankful his boss had calmed down. However, he was wary. Ace often looked calm as he was getting beat to all sorts of hell. More than anything, though, he was just glad Ace was back unharmed. Of course he would have shown it – but being happy was out of the question right now. Especially with Sal hovering nearby.

As a result, there was an awkward silence. Snake had, of course, greeted his boss, asking him if he needed food or painkillers. Ace had brushed him off, his eyes on his father, who didn't seem to give half a damn about anything. He lounged on the couch, hogging most of it. He was a free man now, and he was going to enjoy all the amenities of home that jail couldn't provide – namely a padded surface to sleep on.

Ace, for his part, didn't bother to confront him. Instead he sat, tracing the warped swirls in the wood to keep himself calm. It was failing, but he grit his teeth and kept seated. Fighting him wouldn't do any good, regardless of how much he wanted to smash his fist into that upturned nose. It would just make things more difficult, and he was too pissed off and tired to try any more tonight.

The lead Gangreen raised his head, looking around the small space. Sal remained sprawled out on the couch, Ace sat in the chair at the head of the table, and Snake stood or shuffled around in the space between them. The rest of the gang was nowhere to be found. It was probably better that way. At this point Ace could barely take the serpent's eyes half staring at him. He growled quietly to himself, gritting his teeth so hard his jaw ached. This whole situation had gotten so out of hand – it was driving him totally insane. First he gets beat to all hell for the second time, then he was used as a meat shield and a ticket out or prison, then his gang up and ditches him after he goes out to clear his head, and to top it all off it was all his lousy father's fault and the bastard was still _alive_.

What he wouldn't give to be ignorant of _that_ lovely little detail.

Ace snorted, sitting back in the chair and shutting his eyes. It was going to take a while to process this new information. As of right now he wasn't dealing too well. He felt like hitting something, but he was too drained to get up and go punch the wall or smack the hell out of Snake. Maybe if he slithered closer, but to get up and beat him was out of the question at the moment. The boss opened his eyes, stretching his arms above his head and behind his head. Snake was out of sight, but hissing somewhere off to his left. He'd probably know where the rest of them ran off to, if not the details about every goddamn thing that was going on already. Little bastard knew everything.

He looked off to his left, watching Snake out of the corner of his eye. Reflexively he flinched back and for some reason that made Ace feel a bit sour. None of this was Snake's fault – deep down he knew that. But it was too easy to just forget that little detail and take his anger out on the skinny jerk. He took it like it was nothing and always came crawling right back. It probably wasn't great for the reptile's health (both his bones and his mind, Ace was sure, had been broken more than most), but it _worked_ for them. Snake wouldn't be so fucking stupid to come right back groveling at his feet if it wasn't.

Would he?

Ace was vaguely aware Snake was behind him now, hissing quietly. It happened like this sometimes. Other times they would be talking like nothing happened and go on about their business. But this situation warranted the comfortable silence where Snake would slither closer, trying to gauge how pissed off he was by proximity. Ace was still mad. Very mad. But he was also really fucking tired and in no mood to beat up anyone right now. His head was all mixed up with thoughts and shit he wasn't familiar with. Bottom line was Ace had lost control of the whole situation, and Ace did not like being at the mercy of anything.

He felt Snake shift closer. Ace knew Snake could be quiet and sneaky when he wanted to be. Now wasn't one of those times – unless he was just being more observant than normal. He usually kept that job for Snake. Said serpent shuffled even closer. Whatever heat he managed to exude was radiating against Ace's neck and making him frown. He was getting pissed off again, and if Snake got any closer or thought about laying that hand on him to make him feel better or some shit then he was gonna get smacked.

"Don't." He snapped, cutting Snake off before he could even start. "Don't."  
"Bosss I-"  
"Shut the hell up I doesn't wanna to hear it." Ace shoved the chair back and stood, moving to the cot at the far end of the shack "An' don' touch me."

Snake obediently backed off, hissing softly and slipping backwards. He didn't want to make Ace any angrier than he was, as good as his intentions were. Ace needed space right now. He would respect that. That much he could do without screwing up – or so he hoped. He watched quietly while Ace slumped down on the cot, staring at the wall. He turned over to Sal, who was likewise spread out and lifeless on a semi-flat surface. The silence was deafening – even his hissing and the heartbeat banging away in his head and chest couldn't stop it.

So he slipped out. It was the only way for him to get out of the way completely without abandoning them. He would detach himself, but hover around nearby. Just in case anything happened. Snake hissed sourly, his hand shaking again. Absently he reached for his cigs, plucking one from the beat-up carton and lighting it with practiced ease, only registering the warmth in his fingers and the smoke in his lungs a puff or two in.

This was so messed up.

Snake slipped around the shack twice, listening for sounds of foul play. There was nothing, so on his second lap the serpent slumped down too, belatedly following his leader's example. He rested his head against one of the porch posts, staring blindly at a pile of garbage, the smoke dangling lazily from his mouth for a while. No matter how hard he tried there was no way he could think to amend the problems he caused. It was making him panic, the silence was making him itchy – he'd give anything to have Ace whap him across the mouth so they could just _move on_ already.

Footfalls echoed behind him, and he twitched. Snake gathered his wits about him, cursing himself for being careless. Still, he didn't turn around. He waited. He wasn't sure if it was Ace behind him or someone else – though he hoped it was the former. How he hoped it was the former, coming out of the shack to sit with him or at least smack him around a few times for smoking. Belatedly he crushed the still smoldering stick into the ground with a hiss. And so he waited.

Despite his best attempt to hope and wish, it was not Ace behind him. It was Sal, and the convict was awfully comfortable invading people's personal space, it seemed. Snake, thought wary, had grown used to the man, and he found himself relaxing rather than tensing – something that he was sure was backwards. He wasn't supposed to trust Sal, not if Ace couldn't. But he couldn't help himself. Snake realized now why he felt comfortable enough to even so much as _talk_ to Sal in the big pen. He was Ace's flesh and blood, or at least half, and he acted and moved and sounded so much like the man that Snake found it just short of impossible to not gift him with the same treatment he showered on Ace. It wasn't deserved, it wasn't earned, but Snake found himself eager for Sal's acceptance too, and so he uncoiled at his feet and just gave into it.

_Pathetic_, Snake thought, _Absolutely pathetic_.

"Whassup?" The older greeted causally, leaning against the shack.  
"He hatessss me." Snake hissed miserably "Blamesss me for everythingsss."  
"Yeah, probably." Sal shrugged and sat beside him. "But he'll get ova it. He's stubborn is all."  
"I knowssss. I jussst hate the inbetweenssss."

Snake lit up another cigarette and took a deep drag, confident Sal wouldn't rat him out – if only because he wasn't aware he wasn't supposed to be doing it. Sal eyed him, remaining quiet, that feeling of pity welling up in him again. Snake did his best to ignore the sidelong stare, but he couldn't. That attempt was shot to all hell when, out of no where, Sal's pale arm was thrown about his shoulder in the most friendly manner Snake had never expected. He choked on his own hiss, thankful his lungs were empty of smoke, and reflexively twitched away. The older man was hell bent on being chummy, however, and he kept Snake anchored there in the awkward sideways hug. To add to the alien feeling, Sal just sighed and looked out into the garbage mounds, as if this happened every damned day. Snake, unsurprisingly, was unsure how to deal with this, and as such remained perfectly still, hoping Sal would go away and take the weird with him.

No such luck for the reptile, as Sal turned his gaze on him and struck up another one of those probing conversations.

"Why do you take all this shit, kid?" the felon asked, his chin in his unoccupied hand.  
"Hmmsss?" Snake had almost missed the question – eyes focused on the thin fingers – but he snapped his eyes back to Sal in hopes he'd repeat.  
"Why you put up wid dis shit? You don't gotta stay here."  
"Wheress am I ssssuposed to go? I havess no familysss, no homesss, nowheresss but heress. Ace is all I hassss… "  
"Just him?" Sal asked, raising a brow.  
"And the Gang." He amended, taking a drag. " And thisss clubhouse iss all I havesss."  
"Mhmm."

Sal smirked to himself, withdrawing the hand around the teen's skinny shoulders. Snake noticed it, as he often noticed things, and felt his face go red. He had admitted a bit more than he thought he would. He shook his head, silently cursing himself again. He was a idiot, he knew that, and he needed to shut the hell up before he made it worse. Why did Sal have to be so much like Ace, making him all comfortable and flustered and looking for approval in him when Ace wouldn't give him any? It was so weak, so _wrong_ that Snake was ashamed he just fell apart like that.

Thankfully, Sal left him alone after a few moments, retreating back into the shack. A stupid move, Snake thought, but there were no more fighting noises, not even the slightest grunt of anger- at least, none that he could hear. It was just as well. The reptile, much like Ace and _because_ of Ace, was far too tired to play peacekeeper or punching bag. The only thing he could make himself do at the moment was turn his eyes upward and count the stars past a thin veil of cigarette smoke.

Time, Snake hoped, would make things easier.

* * *

**Oh, Snake. If only you knew D:**  
**I'm sorry I torture you so much but things HAVE TO get worse before they get better.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	10. Chapter 10

**I did this on time? Holy crap!**  
**It'd be lovely if you would stop fighting me, Jailbird. You need to be written _well_ I can't just skip around STOP DOING THIS TO ME.**

**Another short-ish chapter, I'm afraid. But it is leading up to something, I swear. For now, please enjoy picking at Ace's brain and the crushing paranoia therein.**

Enjoy! 

* * *

Some days had passed since Sal invaded the Gangreen Gang. The remaining three members had returned home the day after they left, albeit cautiously. They hung around outside until Snake, unable to take the pressure, snuck out for a smoke break. Big Billy popped out a garbage pile and grabbed him. Aside from scaring the poor serpent shitless (as if his nerves hadn't already been frayed enough), he assured them that Ace had cooled down. It wasn't _entirely_ true, as Ace was still pissed off, but he wasn't eerily quiet or outright homicidal. Their boss was civil, if not a little quieter than normal, and Sal stayed mostly out of the way, snoozing placidly on the couch.

The gang settled into their usual routines, with the sole difference of clinging to Ace's judgment. No one wanted to slip up. They looked to Ace before they moved or talked or started up a card game or even ate. It was quite frankly annoying the hell out of him, but at least they weren't outright pestering him. He had enough shit to sift through as it was. Last thing he needed was to have to bust up a fight over table scraps or a fixed game. For that reason and that reason only he was alright with them being out of his hair.

Problem was everyone seemed distant. They hardly spoke or even looked each other in they eye. Ace didn't like this. He wasn't used to this. He didn't know how to lead this. What he knew how to lead was a gang of chattery, obedient, rough and tumble guys who were anything but quiet. He knew how to deal with Snake's hissing, Lil' Arturo's random Spanish rants, Big Billy's simple sentences punctuated with 'uh' and 'duh', and Grubber's raspberries. He knew how to command them by snapping, barking, yelling, swearing at them in his own clipped accent. Ace noticed sourly that he didn't even hear the quiet noises he took advantage of. Grubber's huffing, Billy's mumbles, even Snake's hisses were absent. He did not know, nor did he even remotely like, this new vow of silence.

Ace had noticed with a quiet snarl that waiting this out was just _not_ fucking working.

He had deluded himself by thinking that, with time – a few days, max – everyone would just be cool. But things had gotten shittier by the minute. Everyone looked scared to death. They kept staring at him when he back was turned and it was driving him fucking nuts feeling their eyes bore holes into his back. They wouldn't say anything but 'yes boss' and 'sorry boss' – if they spoke at all. Not even his damned name- not a single word out of place. But he knew they were all thinking the same fucking thing and that was making him angrier and angrier.

They knew. They all _knew_.

They knew he was weak. Losing ground. That he had stumbled and lost his edge. And they all knew why. Ace wished his fucking father would just leave already. He had caused enough problems, and now he was just being a stubborn jackass. He was eating his food, sleeping on his couch, taking up his space and time and generally making him go insane and his gang splinter into shards of their former selves. He was breaking them up by just being there, that son of a bitch, and he seemed to be just fucking fine with it. Ace couldn't even enjoy a decent fucking card game without feeling eyes all over him, welled up with concern or pity or some shit that he didn't ever want on him in the first place.

Ace frowned, the lines in his face getting deeper when he heard the three gang members at the table hitch their breath. This was all his fault. Sal. His dad. It wasn't as if he was close to the guy. He couldn't even remember him before… well it wasn't important. He had forgotten his past and whatever shitty family might have existed back then. Ace had moved on. Gotten better. Now he was famous - _infamous_. Certainly better than that asshole prison rot. What- 'cause he couldn't make a name for himself now he had to ruin his kid's life? Dammit, talk about a dick move. Breaking up his gang like this, making a mess out of everything, forcing his followers _his followers _to look at him like confused mutts and worst of all making him want to claw out his brain for thinking so goddamn much.

Then again.

He wasn't the only one at fault. Snake too had a hand in this. He had singled him out, befriended him, even went so far as to point him out. If he hadn't had done that last bit then he probably wouldn't have found him _ever_. So this was Snake's fault too, though he moped and slouched around and looked like a kicked dog. Like he was guilty. And Ace knew he very well might have been. But Ace had learned long ago that stories had at least two sides – and how to manipulate that into making him look like the victim. Surely Snake knew how to do that by now – he was up his ass enough, hanging on his every word.

Except not as much lately.

Snake was too busy hanging on his new friend's words. Fucking wimp. Ace growled softly to himself, picking at the splinters in the table while he contemplated his cards. Snake had been hanging out a lot with him lately. Every day it seemed. He'd hover around like a fucking mosquito and when Ace batted him away Snake would go slinking off. Then his father would disappear. Then like an hour later they would both slip back in when they thought he wasn't looking. While Ace wasn't one to be terribly paranoid, he knew somethin' was going on behind his back when he saw it.

So one day he followed them. He didn't have to go far. Right on his fucking front porch. Snake was smoking, the one thing Ace told him a billion motherfucking times not to do, and his father was right there. Just chatting. Standing idly by while everything was falling apart inside. Snake knew things were wrong – what the fuck was he doing out there getting all friendly with the cause of this misery? Snake should know better than to sit out there and talk so casually after his ass was booted out. Whenever Ace _used to_ shoo him off he's hide among the garbage and sulk. But now he had a brand new fuckin' pal to talk with, smile at, even had the gall to laugh when Ace wasn't looking! And worse yet – his stupid fucking father was being all chummy; patting that skinny bastard's shoulder and giving him advice and shit. Where the fuck did he get off being a father to anyone but his kid? And furthermore, where the fuck did Snake get off accepting it?

Sure his father was an asshole and generally terrible at ruining whatever life he seemed to have, but he was still _his_ and Snake should know better than to take something that belonged to him.

Ace stood suddenly, the squeaking chair making the other gang members twitch. He threw his cards on the table and effectively folded his hand. He didn't say a word, but everyone knew better than to question him. He glared at them for good measure. They flinched, and Ace frowned at the realization it didn't bring him that powerful feeling it once did. This was _their_ fault. He just wasn't sure which one shouldered more of the blame. They were both wrong – they had both wronged him. Now they were going to get it.

The Gangreen leader snorted, hearing the remaining _loyal_ members huddle into themselves and murmur under their breath. Ace glared at them. He wasn't sure if it was the card games or him they were talking about – but he was sure they disserved to be just as frayed and jittery as he was. They wouldn't get beat to all hell – oh no, they hadn't pissed him off that much. But they were gonna feel the same as he was, even if he had to rattle their cages to make sure of it.

Ace grunted, eyeing them over his shades while they tried desperately to look anywhere else. Eyes still on them, he circled the shack, inspecting his things. His. His property. He'd worked so damned hard to amass all of this and now it was falling apart and that was really pissing him off. Ace worked to unclench his jaw and stalked past the card players, furious at them for being so afraid. He finally got to the couch and sat with a huff, leaning back against the badly padded fabric. He felt tired again. Drained. All these thoughts and thinking were killing him, Ace was sure of it. It was all he could do to sit down for a minute and keep from tensing up and shattering in his own damned skin.

It took a few minutes of unrelenting quiet for it to register that he was sitting on the couch for the first time in days. His fucking father wasn't sprawled all across it and hogging it. His father was gone. So was Snake. Ace felt the rage well up in him again. It was a larger swell this time, disproportionate and heavy and it weighed on him, threatening to snap him in two. The boss Gangreen let out a frustrated sigh and balled his hands into fists, unconsciously mimicking his dad in the way he stretched out and took up space on the lumpy old piece of furniture. He shut his eyes, gritting his teeth, actually trying to think for the first time in days, and for the first time in days being unable to. His mind was suddenly hollow as opposed to the frantic thoughts he'd been subject to. All he could do was feel – and Ace did not like feeling whatever mixture of hate and fear his was.

The both of them were gonna get it, just as soon as he figured out what 'it' was.  


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**Oh this does not bode well :(**

**Thanks for reading!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Wow this shouldn't have taken this long :|**  
**I've hit a bit of a dry spell, I'm afraid. I apologize for keeping you all waiting and having so little to show for it. I believe I'm coming out of it slowly, but the next two chapters need a lot of polishing before I set them here. Thank you all for being so patient and I hope you enjoy this small buffer before shit gets serious.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

He found Sal first.

Ace had left the couch after the silence had gotten loud enough to ring in his ears. It was too quiet inside and he thought maybe he would be able to piece things together outside. The stars helped him fall asleep from time to time; they'd damn well better settle his brain. But on his way out he had spotted Sal and Snake, and felt that dizzying rush of anger flood him again. He let Snake get away for the moment, but Sal was still fair game. He didn't know what he was going to do or how it was going to play out but everything in his body was _itching_ to do _something_ to settle this… whatever this had become.

Until Sal spotted him.

He must have been standing there too long or breathing too hard or glaring to sharply. Regardless of what it was that set Sal off Ace's cover was blown. Instead of getting the jump on his old man all he could do was stand there and glare at him behind his shades. Not half as menacing as he had hoped – Sal even had the gal to chuckle at him.

"Hey there kiddo."  
"Shut the fuck up." Ace snapped, already pissed off.

Sal shook his head and chuckled some more. Furious, Ace grit his teeth and balled his hands into fists, daring his father to speak. Sal didn't though. He merely crossed his scrawny arms over his chest and stared right back, waiting patiently. He had all the time in the world to deal with his estranged child now that he was out of prison. However it seemed that Sal's calm and sudden willingness to wring the life out of every goddamn second only served to make Ace inexplicably furious every moment that passed in silence. But they waited for each other to start up to conversation. Sal didn't have much to say and Ace would have probably sputtered and made inhuman sounds if he was prompted to speak

"You gonna say somethin?" Sal said suddenly, bored of the silence.

Rather than answer, Ace just seethed. Damn him! Damn him and all his calm – didn't he know what he did? Did he have any idea of all the shit he caused- all the problems? This was his fault, Ace decided. He'd made his gang go silent. He'd thrown him off the leader board – made him stumble and look weak and lose his goddamn mind with all this thinking. He'd influenced his followers – even Snake! It took him _years_ to get that sniveling little fuck to follow him without question and it took his bastard father all of two days. Two fucking days to reduce everything he worked, everything he thought he knew, ever damned _thought_ he'd ever thunk to a shell of what it used to be. That asshole! How dare they – how dare _he_, Ace reminded himself – do this to him. He'd come in here and screwed every fucking thing up and he didn't care. He didn't even know!

Everything was ruined, not quite gone but falling apart through his fingers and he couldn't just let it go. He would not let it end like this. He wouldn't relinquish his home, his gang, his accomplishments. They were his and just because he fucking father screwed up along the way did not mean he could drag him down too. Fuck that. He needed to do something. _Something_. Exactly what kept eluding him – but it had to be something to knock him down a peg and get the stupid fucking bland look of his goddamn face!

Ace raised his fist, bent on wiping that thin line off his face. It would be so easy. He was faster, stronger than this skinny old bastard. All he had to do was thurst forward. He'd knock the old man's teeth out. He's made his nose bleed so fast he'd faint. He'd fall and crack his fucking head open. Then Ace would be rid of him. He'd make them all forget and he'd make things go back to normal. He'd be in charge again. All he had to do was put all of his meager weight behind his fist and drive it right into the center his stupid goddamn bland all-to-familiar face.

But he didn't act.

Sal took that opening, the chance of confrontation forcing him to shake of the look of boredom. He shoved him back and got some distance between them. Like everything else Sal did it was deliberately infuriating while incurring the least amount of effort on his part. The Gangreen, for his part in the matter at hand, kept his balance but stumbled. The hand he meant to hit his father with grabbed the side of his ramshackle home, sliding backwards. He hissed in pain, feeling the wood splinter under his palm. He hissed, the sting of a handful of little needles embedded in his flesh distracting him for a moment.

"You hesitated." Sal pointed out, slightly perplexed.  
"Fuck off."  
"The hell didn't you hit me?"  
"I ain't beatin' up an old man" he muttered lamely, picking out the biggest of the slivers with his broken fingernails.  
"You never hit nobody, do you?"  
"Bite me. I hit whoever I damn well please."  
"You mean Snake."

Ace growled, his head snapping up to glare at Sal anew. One hand still worried over the other, picking piece after bit of ancient, rotted wood from his hand. He tried to look menacing, bearing his teeth, his shoulders hunched, looming over the orange-clad convict. But he looked more the part of a cornered, injured animal. The shake to his stance, the way his hands shook while he desperately tried to pick the shattered bits of his home from his fist. None of it fooled Sal, so he kept right on.

"You beat up on him all the time." Sal pressed "What the hell has he ever done ta piss you off so damn bad?"  
"Shut the fuck up and leave him the fuck alone. Leave _me_ the fuck alone."  
"He's tha only one that lets you, ain't he? You don't hit none of the other ones. Especially that big 'un. Hell I wouldn't touch him either."  
"Shut the hell up!"  
"But him. You gotta something there. You afraid of him? Or of him bailing?"  
"Fuck you!"

With a sudden rush of bravado, Ace up and took an actual swing at his old man before he could think. He missed –terribly – but that was enough to make his stupid father step back and take notice. For a moment, the barest moment, Ace felt a rush of something that made him dizzy and sick, but the way his stomach launched up into his throat wasn't new to him. This feeling of power. Sal had to step back. He noticed. He couldn't ignore him or get walked all over. This asshole, the intrusive fucker who had ruined everything knew him now, and had to pay him some respect.

The look on Sal's face, however, seemed to be oddly reminiscent of that Warden's look of disappointment and disgust. Not of respect or fear or admiration of his strength. That was a look of pity. Lackluster and bland, as if any moment from then he's tut-tut and pat his shoulder and say 'better luck next time' or 'there there, it's okay.' That look was everything he wasn't expecting- it was never the reaction he got from hitting or even missing. Of course, this only made Ace angrier. He was supposed to fear him dammit! He balled both fists, the one laden with splinters prickling painfully but he paid it no mind. The lead Gangreen was too busy trying to keep from shaking.

"You ain't gonna get no one ta keep on yer side if you keep 'em afraid." Sal pressed, his voice quiet now "They ain't gonna stay. They can only take so much shit from anyone, 'specially him."  
"Get the fuck away from me."

Ace's reply had been quiet, hissed through grit, sharp teeth. Sal heeded it nonetheless, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly and turning to walk away. The gangster glared at his back as angrily as he could until he was out of sight, and even then he stared so hard so long at the place where he had been standing he held some sort of hope the spot and the convict would spontaneously burst into flames.

Sal was wrong.

It was simple as that. He had to be. He had to be wrong. There was no explanation other than that /he was wrong/. Ace was strong. He might have stumbled and hurt a few things, but he was still on top. What the hell did he know, anyway? He might have had a gang at one point but where was it now? Ran off, abandoned him. _Him_, not Ace. Ace was better than him. His gang was better too. They were loyal. They feared him. Snake especially. What the hell was he going on about Snake leaving? Bullshit. Snake wouldn't leave, no matter what God-awful thing he did. Snake was _his and would always be his _– his lackey, his punching bag, his mutant freak minion, no matter what.

And he could prove it, too.

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**This does not bode well. In fact I think it bodes worse :c**  
**Thanks for reading!**


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